Rise of the Brave Tangled Hellboy Dragons: the Golden Army
by Sammael29
Summary: Jack Frost thought he knew tooth fairies and elves very well. But his new job in the BPRD will teach him different. ROTBTD Hellboy AU. No pairings except Frostbite. Please review if you like it.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 2: Of Elves and Ectoplasm

"So, Merida," Liz asked, as they were in the garbage truck heading back to the BPRD, "Who exactly are these people you call the Bethmoora Clan?"

Merida sighed. "It's a long story, Lizzie, but one which I think I can teek the time tae spare. Have ony of ye ever heard tell of elves afore?"

Jack immediately began, "Well, I've met them in North's workshop, does that count?"

"No' those kind o' elves, ye twit!" Merida snapped. "The kin' tha' have long, flowin' hair an' high cheekbones; the kin' tha' live in the green fields an' forests; the kin' that ye can only find in the auld Celtic lands?"

The rest of the group remained awkwardly quiet until Liz then added, " _I've_ seen Lord of the Rings, is that the kind of elf you're referring to?"

"It is, aye!" Merida agreed. "Onyway, the Bethmoora Clan is a group o' mythical bein's livin' in Ireland; they included ogres, goblins, an' most importantly, elves. I ken them best for the part they played in the creation of…"

She broke off, in clear shock at what she had just realized.

"The creation of what, Merida?" Hiccup asked.

The Scottish girl's voice was as low as her eyes when she next spoke.

"The Golden Army."

No-one said anything except for a hushed "Howdy-Doody" from Hellboy. Then Merida told the story.

"They say that a long time ago, mankind, animals, and mythical creatures used tae live i' the shade o' Aiglinn, the Father Tree. But mankind was said tae have a hole i' their hearts, which couldnae be filled by ony amount o' wealth, knowledge or power. An' i' their measureless greed, men dreamt o' increasin' their kingdom o'er the whole world. The mythical creatures fought agin' them, an' mony ogres, goblins an' elves died i' the battle. An' Balor, the king o' Bethmoora, a white-bearded elf with a left arm made o' silver, watched the slaughter in bitterness an' anger.

Then one day, everythin' changed. A goblin blacksmith, a chieftain of mony, came afore King Balor an' offered tae help turn the war i' his favour. He would gi'e the king an army o' golden mechanical soldiers, who would ne'er know hunger, nor pain, nor sleep.

Now Balor had two children, a son called Nuada an' a daughter called Nuala. But while Nuala was a gentle, loving lass, Nuada hated mankind wi' a fiery passion for all tha' they had done tae his people. So he encouraged his father tae agree tae the goblin's offer. Balor gave the order, an' the goblin blacksmiths created seventy times seventy giant automatons, made o' gold an' powered by gears. An' they forged a golden crown in addition, so tha' Balor alone could control the Army, by wearin' the crown on his head. "I am King Balor Silverarm o' Bethmoora," he said. "Would any of ye challenge my right tae lead this Army?" An' in his throne chamber, no-one dared challenge him."

"Why no'- I mean, why not?" Flynn interrupted, earning a slap across the head from Abe of all people.

Merida sighed irritably before continuing, "If ye wanted tae challenge Balor, ye had tae be royal yersel', Rider. Now who's tellin' this story, ye or me?"

"Sorry, carry on," the former robber replied.

"The nex' time the greedy warriors o' mankind went tae battle, they fel' the ground tremble beneath their feet, an' they saw the sky darken wi' monstrous shepes. The Golden Army were upon them like a pack o' dragons, nae offence, Hiccup."

"None taken," the young Viking replied. "So…did the Golden Army do their job well?"

"Aye…too well. Those mindless machines held nae loyalty tae pain; they killed people indiscriminately, the innocent along wi' the guilty, the good along wi' the bad, as well as killin' greedy warriors, they killed helpless women an' children. An' then King Balor felt grief an' regret, for his Golden Army were causin' more damage than they were avertin'. So he took off the Crown o' Bethmoora, an' divided it intae three pieces; one piece he gave tae mankind, the other two he kept for hi'self. An' he made a pledge o' peace wi' the leader o' the warriors; in exchange, mankind would restrict their kingdom tae the cities, an' le' the mythical creatures keep the forests. This truce would be honoured by their children an' their descendants fer all taime. Bu' Prince Nuada didnae believe tha' mankind would keep their promise. He thought he could hae commanded the Golden Army better than his father, an' sae he went intae exile, vowing tae return the day he felt his people needed him most. An' wi' the crown o' Bethmoora divided intae three pieces, the Golden Army shut down, an' a group o' Formorian giants pu' them un'erground on Balor's orders…"

At this point, Hellboy started speaking aloud at the same time as Daenerys. "An' there they remain tae this day; silent, still, an' indestructible."

Merida looked at Hellboy in surprise. "Ye know the story as well, Red?"

The friendly demon nodded. "A long time ago, when I was a kid, Professor Broom read that story to me one Christmas. I remember it so well 'cos I was watching an episode of Howdy-Doody beforehand." He looked at Merida. "What about you, Merida? Where did you learn the story from?"

Merida smiled nostalgically. "I wis born i' 12th-century Scotland, remember? I met King Balor when we went tae Ireland tae make a treaty wi' the Bethmoora Clan. By that taime, the King an' his daughter were livin' inside a cave. Bethmoora comes from a Gaelic word meanin' 'Sons o' the earth", sae they live as close tae it as they can."

"You met King Balor in person?" Tooth remarked incredulously. "What was he like?"

"Like an uncle," Merida replied. "He was jovial an' kindly, an' he was quite chatty, provided ye spoke tae him in Gaelic, 'cos he can understan' English, but cannae speak a word o' it hi'self. An' his daughter, Nuala, me an' her grew very close. We had a lot in common wi' each other."

"I wonder if they're still alive," Abe mused to himself, stroking his scaly chin.

"Likelihood is they are," Merida replied, "Unfortunately, tha' means tha'…sae is…"

But all of a sudden, she slumped forwards and her eyes closed.

Merida had gone into some kind of trance. As she lay asleep, an image appeared before her; she was stood in an underground chamber, next to a train tunnel which she could see through a broken-down wall. Stood in front of her, illuminated by the daylight through the open manhole above his head, was a figure who was both a man and yet not a man.

He had very long hair which came down to his back; it was mainly white, but turned orange at the ends; and in addition, his skin was white; not Caucasian, but the colour of milk; he was slender, yet physically strong to look at, with toned muscles; he was wearing no shirt, thus exposing his torso, but beneath the waist he wore a pair of black trousers and no shoes. But what most caught Merida's attention was the short spear he held in his right hand; it had a black hilt decorated with what looked like dragonskin, and a wide head made of silver- and currently, he was spinning it energetically in his hand.

As Merida watched, the man then energetically ran forwards towards one of the chamber walls, ran up to it, then jumped backwards, thrusting his spear in front of him; she could now see his face clearly- high cheekbones, a straight, perfect nose with a long scar running above it; faint swirl-shaped scars on his cheeks; ears shaped like pointed leaves, and hints of black at the corners of his mouth and eyes, which were a glossy amber-yellow. He turned a somersault and then struck his spear's hilt against the floor of the chamber, at which point the spear then elongated surprisingly, until it stood far taller than he did, lowered onto one knee with his head bowed. He then got up and performed more energetic fight moves, before finally bringing his spear down into a puddle, sending water spraying everywhere; with shocking precision, he swept his spear in a neat arc, cutting a falling drop of water in half; he then held the spear straight in two hands, raising his dripping head just as the sound of footsteps revealed there were two more people in the chamber.

"How long have you been there, my friends?" the man asked. His accent was smooth, and clearly English, but Merida could somehow sense Gaelic beneath it. As he held out the spear with one hand, its hilt immediately retracted back into a shorter handle. It was then that Merida realized that this was Prince Nuada; his spear was the reason Nuada nicknamed himself "Silverlance". But as Nuada's friends emerged into the light, she got the feeling that maybe the Elven prince was not her main problem.

One of the men was tall and slender, wearing a flowing robe as black as his wavy hair; he had elegant hands and almost claw-like nails; and in addition, his skin was an ashen gray and his eyes deep golden, in a menacing way, just like Nuada's eyes; his teeth were like those of a carnivore, pointed and bared in a threatening grin; in short, he looked just like a wolf in human form. The second man was even taller, but physically different from this man in many ways; he was extremely muscular, with no clothes except for a breastplate and kilt made of brown leather strips and sandals around his massive, elephant-toed feet; his skin was greyish-blue, with swirl patterns on his shoulders, and one of his arms ended in four huge fingers like a gorilla's fingers; the right arm was severed at the wrist and replaced by a huge metal hand that looked like an arcade prize-grabbing crane. His head was the most surprising attribute, though, with small ears, a single brown eye with two pupils(the other one was scarred red skin), and a flat pair of nostrils over a massive muzzle like a manatee and prominent yellow incisors; on both sides of his mouth were two short tusks; one of them a broken stump. He was a cave troll.

"Long enough," the black-dressed man replied; he, too, spoke with an English accent, but his voice was far darker and colder than Nuada's. "Have the supplies turned up?"

Nuada pointed with his spear to a rattling metal box which Merida recognised with horror as the same box those Tooth Fairies had come out of. "They're over there. They turned up this morning. I have not fed them, at all."

The Tooth Fairies were screeching hungrily from within the box.

"Good," the shadowy man agreed. "We want them good and hungry for the heist later on."

Nuada now turned and spoke to the cave troll. "Me and Pitch will go up there first. You will come after."

The troll grunted in reply.

"And remember, Mr. Wink," the shadowy man(Pitch) added, "don't be shy."

Were it not for the serious mood of the scene, Merida might have laughed aloud. What kind of person would call a massive, ferocious cave troll something like "Mr. Wink"? Then she remembered his single eye and immediately kept a straight face. As Nuada stood underneath the manhole entrance, glaring up at the street overhead, Mr. Wink let out a deafening roar like an elephant.

The next few moments happened surprisingly fast. Nuada got dressed in a black tunic with a red belt and gold pendant, then Pitch created a handful of black sand in his hands and threw it to the ground, creating a ladder which the elf climbed up, his strange friend following him. They came to the surface, whereupon Pitch then whistled sharply and what looked like a huge horse made of the same black sand rode along the street, allowing them both to climb onto its back before it rode straight into the air, running all the way to the back wall of a tall building; the black horse then changed shape into a huge lizard(a gecko, she had learned earlier) and climbed all the way up to an open window.

There was only one man by the window; Nuada and Pitch got off the monster's back and climbed in through the window without him noticing. They then moved around just as he walked over to the window and looked out of it; as he turned back, Pitch suddenly drew an arrow made of black sand and threw it at him; he fell dead with a thud.

Nuada gave Pitch a congratulatory nod before he then walked over to a large set of wooden doors. Behind it, the auction seemed to be in full swing as an English auctioneer spoke aloud.

"Next lot, number 776, is an important votive figure, a fertility goddess, dating from about 15,000-10,000 B.C(Merida remembered the huge sculpture which Hellboy pushed over on top of the Tooth Fairies) This was found in a deposit less than 30 metres from the Shannon River….And we open the bidding at $300, 000…going once, going twice…sold. And now, we move onto our next item- lot 777, a piece of the Royal Crown of Bethmoora, the fabled Sons of the Earth, said to have created the legendary Golden Army…"

All three pairs of ears- Nuada's, Pitch's and Merida's, pricked up at this point. So this is what became of the crown piece which Balor gave to mankind. Pitch nodded sharply and Nuada then struck an electrical fuse-box on the wall with his spear hilt; immediately, the whole building was plunged into darkness; only the streetlamps and moonlight illuminated the chambers as Nuada and Pitch then crept slowly into the auction chamber.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please keep your seats," said the auctioneer, who Merida could now see had no hair at all on his head, as well as a pair of small round spectacles and a very stout build. "The auction restarts shortly, I am sure it's just a temporary loss of power."

He then resumed, "Now, for the first time on auction, a piece of the Royal Crown of Bethmoora, coming to us from a long lost culture…"

"Lost?" Nuada interrupted, stepping forwards into the light with Pitch behind him. "No, the kingdom of Bethmoora is not lost. Forgotten by your people, perhaps, but we are very, very much alive."

"Who are you, sirs?" the auctioneer spluttered in surprise. "Sirs, please identify yourselves! You cannot just…"

"I am Prince Nuada Silverlance, son of King Balor of Bethmoora," the elf replied coldly. "My friend here is Kozmotis Pitchiner Black, the King of Fear; and we are here, _sir_ (he spat the word at him), to reclaim what is rightfully mine."

"Security! Call security!" shouted the auctioneer, before turning to add, "What do you think you're doing? This is outrageous!"

With a loud crash a massive metal ball punched a hole in the glass doors of the auction chamber, throwing two dead security guards at the auctioneer's feet. Then the ball started walking along the floor on little metal legs, at which point Merida quickly realized that the ball was in fact a metal hand, attached to a chain in the hollow socket of its owner's right arm; Mr. Wink.

The chain quickly retracted back into Mr. Wink's wrist socket, as the massive cave troll walked forwards into the light, his one eye seemingly wet from beneath as he lowered the metal tooth fairy box to the floor. He then glared at the screaming auctioneer guests and let out a roar, blasting them with rancid troll breath.

The auctioneer visibly paled at this point and started whimpering. "You can take it; please, please, take it, take anything…"

Nuada reached into his shirt pocket, producing some kind of fleshy translucent ball, which then opened outwards into a hissing jellyfish-type monster; he threw the jellyfish at the auctioneer's head, and it wrapped its limbs around his face; Merida watched as he choked loudly, a large eye in the jellyfish's back covering the spot above his mouth. Finally he fell to the ground and the jellyfish let go of him.

"Be quiet," Nuada snapped at the dead auctioneer, before picking up the crown piece, a curved piece of golden metal, and pocketing it. The crowd were in panic at this point.

"SIT…DOWN!" the elf shouted, abruptly silencing the crowd. "Proud, empty, hollow things that you are." He turned to point to Pitch with his spear, and the dark, unpleasant-looking man was the next to speak.

"Let this remind you why you once feared the dark…why you once feared _me_." And he then bent down and slowly pulled open the hatch at the front of the tooth fairy box, and for a horrible moment, Merida watched the writhing, snarling little animals from within the box as they spilled out into the auction chamber, hungry for blood…

And then she woke up again. She was back in the BPRD, in Hellboy's private chamber along with the rest of the gang. Hiccup and Astrid were busy taking a shower(not _together_ , you sickos) after having spent so long in sweaty, dirty, dragon-rider's outfits; Flynn was busy getting his minor injuries treated by Rapunzel, and Jack and Red were relaxing by watching the TVs(nine TVs, so that each of them could watch one without blocking anyone's view) with Maximus, Pascal, Tooth, Stormfly and Toothless.

Hellboy had removed his shirt and was eating a Baby Ruth candy bar to relax. "Hey, guys, you're missing this! Ha ha ho, we're on TV!"

Abe, meanwhile, had his hand against the bathroom door where Liz was getting changed. "Liz, are you alright?" he called softly.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute," was her reply.

"You don't need to do that, you can trust me!" he continued. "My readings are quite accurate…"

"SHUT UP, Abe! Take your stupid hand away from the door!" Liz snarled at him, and he withdrew his hand in shock. Merida abruptly remembered that she still didn't want Hellboy to know she was pregnant.

"You don't need to be afraid," he whispered back. "Despite appearances, I believe Red will be an excellent father figure!"

Merida got up from her bed and sniggered quietly. Hellboy, an excellent father figure, with his massive appetite, obsession with cats and TVs, and disregard for toothbrush hygiene? But she put this aside as she walked over to Hellboy.

"Ah, Ginger, you're awake!" the friendly demon added, beckoning the princess to join him on the couch. "You were still asleep when we brought you in from the garbage truck. Hiccup said to leave a bowl of porridge for you in case you woke up and felt hungry."

"The porridge can wait, Red," Merida replied. "Ah've got somethin' tae tell yae…"

Jack shushed her with a "wait!" gesture before smugly pointing at the TV with his staff, where the American TV presenter Jimmy Kimmel was pointing out individual photos of the BPRD members; currently he was on the Berk couple.

"And look at this bad boy!" he remarked smugly. "He rides on something that can only be described as a dragon and dresses like someone out of a sword-and-sorcery film, but just look at all this!" he pointed at Hiccup's skinny frame.

"You just gestured to all of me!" Hiccup remarked accusingly as he came in from the shower, dressed in a spring green t-shirt and brown trousers; he was busy towelling his head down.

Kimmel continued, "they've got this weird white-haired kid who fights with a wooden crowbar(Jack sniggered under his breath), a half-parrot("Hummingbird!" Tooth irritably corrected), half-human girl, and look at this guy!" Abe popped up on screen. "He wears a toilet seat around his neck!"

"Ha, ha! A toilet seat?!" Hellboy sniggered.

"It's quite obvious it's a breathing apparatus!" Abe snapped at the TV.

"Aye, we should probably get rid o' tha' garbage truck!" Merida agreed. "It gives off all the wrong signals!" Hellboy fell over on top of her in hysterics before she abruptly pushed him back upright again. Liz finally emerged from the bathroom with Astrid.

"And you think that's our problem?" the Viking shieldmaiden remarked. "Transportation? Hmm?"

Kimmel now moved on to Liz, Rapunzel and Merida. "And these girls, we have no idea what's so special with them, but they're cute. We have to get them on the show!"

Then Flynn popped up on screen next to Kimmel and said sternly, "sorry, buddy. Blondie's taken."

And as if on cue, Flynn popped up behind the sofa to wave at his on-screen self. "How's that publicity shot, Red?"

Liz was far from happy. "I hate it when people stare at me," she said, walking over to block Hellboy's view of the TV. "It makes me feel like a freak. You had no right, Red."

"Hey, I can be discreet if I like!" the big demon protested. "I followed you and Myers, didn't I?"

Merida smiled nostalgically as she remembered John Myers, the young, cute new recruit to the BPRD four years ago, whom Hellboy had regarded as a rival for Liz' affections, Merida as a "wee lamb", but had eventually earned the BPRD agents' respect when he narrowly stopped Hellboy from releasing a flock of demons upon mankind.

"Yeah, and then you had him sent off to Antarctica," Liz rebutted. "Very discreet."

"Ah, he said he liked the cold," Hellboy replied.

"Well, he should fit right in at North's workshop, then," Jack replied, earning a warm laugh from Toothiana.

Hellboy then noticed Manning on the TV and tried to shoo Liz out of the way. "Oh, it's Manning! Could ya- I…" She glared at him before walking off, whilst Jack laughed aloud at the sight of Manning trying to give an explanation for Liz' fireblast as being a "gas pocket".

"Gas pocket, what an idiot," Jack laughed helplessly, only to then hear footsteps approaching. "He's right behind us, isn't he?"

And the BPRD director was indeed, middle-aged, stern-browed, with a slightly beak-like nose, dark brown disapproving eyes and no hair at all on his head. In his mouth he held an antacid lolly.

" 'Like a shadow in the night, huh?'" he remarked dryly, through a false smile, before then getting in front of the TVs to talk to Hellboy. "You've murdered me. You have murdered me. And you have ridiculed me and…"

Hellboy tried to look around Manning, as did Stormfly and Toothless, but Manning got in their way again.

"And you have brought this upon yourselves," he finished.

"What have we brought upon ourselves, Manning?" Hiccup asked.

"Washington is sending down a new BPRD agent," the American replied to the Viking.

Hellboy nonchalantly got his last bit of Baby Ruth candy bar into his mouth and flipped his head back, throwing it down his throat. "A new guy?" he asked. "Why?"

"To look after you," Manning replied sternly.

An hour later, the whole group were gathered in the BPRD entrance hall waiting for the elevator to descend, bringing with it the new agent.

"Is he here yet?" Hellboy asked from behind Toothless, who was stood up on his back legs to get a better look at the agent when he arrived.

"No," replied Liz, who was in front of Toothless.

Hellboy then insisted to Manning, "I'm tellin' ya, you don't need this guy."

"Well, I think we do," Manning retorted. "Evidently this guy is quite the big shot in Washington."

Hellboy reached over for the file Manning was holding, but the director withdrew it abruptly.

"What's his name, Manning?" Rapunzel asked politely.

"His name is Johann Krauss, Rapunzel," Manning replied.

"Johann Krauss?" Hellboy repeated incredulously.

"Mm-hmm."

"Sounds German," Hellboy remarked darkly, before making another thwarted grab for the file, with Manning stopping him again.

"Mm-hmm, he's the top man in ecto…"

"Plasmic," Abe supplied, before Hellboy said "shush!" to him.

"Yes, thank you," Manning replied. "Ectoplasmic research, comes highly recommended by our European liaison."

Hellboy whispered the word "Krauss" under his breath to Hiccup.

"Liaison," Manning added, whilst nudging Liz gently. "I love that word, don't you? It's so hidy-tidy."

"I don't like Germans," Hellboy grumbled under his breath.

Rapunzel glared at him. "You like me and Flynn, Hellboy."

"You don't count, you're friends," he replied.

"No fingerprints," Manning added.

"Germans make me nervous," Hellboy added, then "OW!" Rapunzel had flicked his head from behind with her frying pan.

"No, Hellboy," she sternly corrected him. " _Nazis_ make you nervous. Right?" and Hellboy nodded, not wanting to annoy her any further. She knew full well that he was referring to Ilsa Haupstein and Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, the two sadistic Nazis who had attempted to enslave mankind to demons four years ago. Both of them were dead now; Haupstein had been crushed to death along with her boyfriend, evil Russian sorcerer Grigori Rasputin, and Kroenen lay in a spike-filled pit with a massive cog on top of him; thrown in there by Hellboy in vengeance for killing Professor Trevor Bruttenholm(or Professor Broom).

Then the sound of the elevator went off, as it lowered into view before them.

"No photo," Manning added. "My file says, _and I translate_ (he added sternly to stop Hellboy from trying to grab his file again), he has a nice, open face."

Finally the elevator came to a halt, and aboard it were a group of usual agents, but there was someone hidden behind them. Immediately, Jack got the feeling that this new agent wouldn't be anyone normal, and he was quickly proved right.

A loud metallic clanking that wasn't the elevator resonated as the agents parted company, exposing a man dressed in a light brown and tan suit made of canvas like a balloon; he wore metal shoes on his feet like a deep-sea diver; his fingertips had metal caps, and he wore a large helmet with a small metal cog at the front and two tuning-fork-type mandibles above it; his helmet sported a glass dome, and within it, there was no face visible of any kind; just a swirling mass of white gas. Occasionally, steam would shoot out of the metal valves on both sides of his head, if you could call it a head.

" _Damen und Herren_ ," he said in a somewhat mechanized German accent, his little mandibles and cog moving like lips, "Johann Krauss, at your service." He made a quick bow.

"I like him," Abe said.

 _Of course you do_ , Hiccup thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 3: Toothless and Troll-Market

Shortly after introducing Dr. Krauss to the rest of the group, they then set to work on finding out where Nuada had got his Tooth Fairies from. To do this, Krauss asked them to bring over one of the Tooth Fairies, which had been killed after Toothless, appropriately enough, tricked the little pest into his mouth, then retracted his teeth, closed his mouth and breathed fire between his lips. The Tooth Fairy was barbequed instantly.

Krauss ran his fingers over the little dead monster on its metal trolley, in a manner very similar to Abe when he was using his hands to psychically scan things. "Look at zat, poor little thing," the German ectoplasm man said. "Bought and sold on ze black market, crammed into cargo containers, smuggled, abused!"

"He has very expressive hands," Manning and Rapunzel whispered to Liz and Eugene at the same time as one another.

Hiccup and Abe then gave Krauss photos they'd taken of the Royal Sealed boxes.

"The seals on these boxes are worrying as well, Dr. Krauss," Hiccup added.

"It's a varring emblem," Krauss guessed.

"Yes," Abe added. "Our Scottish friend here(he gestured to Merida) says it's from the Bethmoora Clan, the Sons of the Earth."

Krauss then added to Rapunzel, "Agent Rapunzel- or princess, razzer- your file says zat you, Agent Sapien, und Agent Hiccup are ze brains of zis operation. And I must admit zat I'm impressed."

"Why, thank you, Mr. Krauss!" Rapunzel giggled.

Manning, trying to butter Krauss up a bit, interjected "In _my_ file, you'll see, sir, that I-I work very closely with Rapunzel, Abe and Hiccup in their training."

"Indeed?" Jack murmured under his breath. Krauss did not have visible eyebrows, but the likelihood is that he was raising them at that remark. He brushed over Manning's toadying and continued, "Yeah, ok, now let's zee vot our little friend here can remember." He pointed at the Tooth Fairy.

"Well, memory normally gets a bit sketchy after you've been burnt to death," Hellboy replied sarcastically. "But maybe Saint Malachy can help." He produced a metal talisman from beneath his coat. It was one which Jack knew all too well. Four years ago, whilst trying to find the hideout of Grigori Rasputin, Hellboy had used that talisman to resurrect a snarky, legless, ugly Russian criminal called Ivan Klematovich; Jack still hadn't got used to it.

"No, no, no amulets, my good _Herren_ ," Krauss waved the amulet away. "Ve shall use teleplasty instead!"

"Plastic, very modern," Manning murmured to Abe.

"No, _teleplasty_ ," Abe corrected him, "a means for an ectoplasmic medium like Dr. Krauss to control inanimate things, organic, mechanical, dead or alive."

Krauss then opened one of the metal caps of his fingers, releasing a thin stream of dense white gas from it- which Jack quickly realized was the ectoplasm which made up Johann's own body. It swirled in the air and then went straight inside the Tooth Fairy's mouth.

"Take it all in, take it all in, my _über_ ," Krauss encouraged, and Jack grimaced slightly upon realising that he was possessing the little monster. Shortly after enough ectoplasm had gone in, Krauss closed his finger cap and tapped the metal trolley-top. With a soft twitch, the Tooth Fairy started moving, opening and closing its eyes and breathing in huge gasps of air.

"Zere ve are," Krauss said. "Now I have full control of its limbic system. Let us zee how long I can hold it. Get up. Get up. Get up," he drummed his fingers sternly on the trolley, just as the Tooth Fairy started slowly getting to its feet, twisting and contorting like a badly malfunctioning marionette. It snapped violently at his fingers as if to tell him to get lost. By the time it was finally upright, it saw Hellboy and Toothless glaring straight at it and starting angrily jabbering in its high-pitched, unintelligible language, with many accusatory points as though it was directly appealing to Krauss.

Toothless snarled at it and Hellboy remarked, "What? Yeah, you chipped off the end of my tail, you little rat! And you tried to eat my friend's tail membranes as well."

Toothless then thumped one of his paws on the trolley as he bared his teeth at the Tooth Fairy, and it looked as if they were going to have another fight.

Krauss then added, "Ze Toos Fairy says zat you two are rude, brutish und not very bright."

"What?" Hellboy looked incredulous at this revelation that Krauss was not just capable of possessing Tooth Fairies, but also understanding their language.

The little animal continued to jabber, and Tooth herself then added, "And he says he can remember market sounds and voices and a peculiar Troll language in the last place his cage was opened…"

"Zere ve are, zen!" Krauss chirped brightly. "He vas obtained in ze Troll Market!"

"The Troll Market?" Hiccup remarked incredulously. The Tooth Fairy screeched eagerly and gave him a thumbs up.

"I don't think any of us have heard of such a place," Jack added.

"Well, no wonder, Jack," Hellboy sighed irritably, "that's because it doesn't _exist_!" he irritably jabbed the Tooth Fairy in the chest with one finger, after which it jabbered back at him, only to then start coughing violently, and sinking to its knees.

"Dr. Krauss, sir?" Manning interrupted. "I don't think our little informant is feeling too well."

And the Tooth Fairy fell to the ground, coughing violently, until it splayed itself, mouth open and tongue out. It had died… for the second time today. Dr. Krauss' ectoplasm poured back out of its mouth, and he drew it inside his finger again. "Back inside you. Zere ve are!"

He added smartly. "So, now ve know vere to start looking. Now, Trolls live under bridges, correct?"

"Wow, you're a genius," Jack remarked sarcastically. Hellboy was of the same opinion, for he added, "By the way, there's over 2,000 bridges in New York City."

"Yes," Rapunzel interrupted, "But that book Abe gave me earlier, it was written by Vladimir Vanya, a 19th-century occult historian. And he says that the Troll Market lies directly under the East End of the Brooklyn Bridge!"

"We've already looked there, Rapunzel," the big demon replied, after rolling his eyes back in his head.

"Yes, you have. But not viz me, Agent, not viz me!" Krauss jibed. "Get ze supplies, ve're moving in!"

Hiccup then added, "Can I just say something, Dr. Krauss?"

"Yes, Agent Hiccup?"

Hiccup explained, "Take your left socks off, Trolls love stealing them."

And with this unique bit of information, the BPRD moved out.

As they were heading out in the garbage trucks, Merida fell asleep again. This time, when she saw Prince Nuada, he and his two friends were in the East Side of New York, outside what looked like an abandoned railway factory. Stood close by, in the rain, was an advertisement board. Nuada glared at it disgustedly before nodding his head to Pitch; the black-robed man pulled his hood up over his head, and he and Mr. Wink followed Nuada into the factory.

It was a warm place of metal pipes and warm orange light. Nuada walked through the building, oblivious to his surroundings, until he entered a tall chamber filled with five surprising-looking people.

One of them was a very tall man, if he was indeed a man, with faded eye markings on the backs of his hands and long, flowing black robes, though nowhere near as dark as Pitch's. He wore rich embroidery and buttons, and had long, spindly fingers that he kept moving like spider's legs. He had small ears like a hippopotamus- Merida loved these new animals she'd learnt about in Abe's book- and no nose, as well as bright orange skin, long black stripes from beneath his eyes, and a long face, a bald head and flabby folds of skin beneath his neck.

The other four were tall and imposing, with stone-purple skin, wearing brown leather skirts which came down to their feet, and lighter brown gauntlets over their arms. They wore huge wooden helmets shaped like toucan's beaks, mostly brown, but with white stripes across the middle. As a result, no-one could see their faces, but Merida knew what they looked like- black and feathery, with curved beaks like ravens. Long black, hair-like plumes adorned the backs of their helmets, and they wielded huge rusted swords with rectangular blades, like a butcher's meat cleaver- they were King Balor's royal guardsmen, the Butcher Guards.

"Ah, your Royal Highness," the flabby, orange man said to Nuada, in a slightly quavering English accent. It was Conall, the Chamberlain of King Balor. Merida remembered seeing him years ago, the last time King Balor and King Fergus met one another. He next spoke in Gaelic- an Irish form, which Merida was unfamiliar with, but as soon as he spoke, she knew straightaway what he was saying: " _Prince Nuada, you honour us with your return_."

The Chamberlain spoke in English again. "But before entering the council chamber, you must surrender your weapon, and your shadowy friend must remove his hood."

Nuada bristled visibly. "We will not," was his obstinate reply.

"It is a common policy, sire, for prince and peasant alike," Conall insisted. At this point, Nuada drew a long, slender, curved sword and rushed over to the Chamberlain, holding it to his throat. The Butcher Guards made harsh avine snarls and drew their own swords, whilst Mr. Wink roared threateningly.

" _You dare give me and my friend orders?_ " Nuada hissed in Gaelic. " _It will be my pleasure to kill you, Chamberlain Conall!_ "

Then a third voice joined in, this time a lighter, more kindly-sounding voice than Nuada's, and Merida's heart stopped as she looked up to see her childhood friend appear before her in the chamber.

Princess Nuala and her brother bore very strong physical similarities to one another- white skin, golden eyes, scars running across the nose, and shoulder-length hair as well as black and red clothes- but unlike her brother, Nuala's hair was golden, not white, and her face had a more open and friendly look to it. Her black and red dress sported a gold belt with the Bethmoora Royal Seal upon it as well as a diamond-shaped piece of metal with runic emblems inscribed upon it; another piece of the Royal Crown. No doubt that was what Nuada was after.

" _Please, brother_ ," Nuala appealed. " _Surrender the weapon._ "

Nuada's snarl faded to an unpleasantly polite smirk.

"For you, my sister, anything," he agreed, before moving the sword from Conall's throat and dropping it. "Very well, Conall. I will leave my sword outside, but you will _not_ ask my friend to remove his hood. I doubt many in the council chamber will take kindly to his being there."

"I do not take kindly to him already," Conall muttered inaudibly, before beckoning to the group to follow him. Through the building to a pair of massive wooden doors inlaid with gold they walked. The Butcher Guards pushed the doors open, and Merida followed Nuada into the courtroom of King Balor.

Surrounded by cast-iron pipes, tall, cog-shaped columns and with a roaring blast furnace behind him, King Balor Silverarm sat on a metal throne before a floor where all the plastic had been removed, leaving brown soil and glowing orange leaves floating down from the ceiling to the ground, with four pairs of Butcher Guards on either side of the chamber, swords facing the ground. On both sides of the throne chamber stood two platforms filled with all manner of Celtic mythical people; Leprechauns, red-bearded beaver-like dwarvish warriors wearing green plaids; Bethmoora Elves like Balor himself; Formorian Ogres, with one eye, one leg and one arm; and even a Peiste, a massive Irish water-dragon like a monitor lizard with a lionfish's fins down its back.

King Balor himself was an impressive figure, wearing a long brown tunic which came down to his shoes. Over that he wore long red robes lined with white fur, as well as a golden breastplate of Celtic swirl motives and a large folded gold square over his stomach. His left arm, tattooed at the wrist, sported a hand made of silver, like a medieval gauntlet- yet he held it out rather carelessly, as though it had been quite some time since he'd used it.

Balor's most impressive feature, though, was his head; his face was worn with stern wrinkles, and his shoulder-length hair and collar-length beard were perfectly white. Above the brow, glossy brown spikes formed a crown attached to his head, as well as two branching antlers like Cernunnos the stag-god. But most noticeable of all were his eyes, large and golden, with such thin pupils, he looked almost blind; but now his eyes burned with anger as he looked upon his wayward son.

" _Father_ ," Nuada spoke in Gaelic, getting on one knee before the throne.

" _Why_?" Balor harshly barked back in the same tongue; old he may be, but his voice held all the conviction he had displayed in his warrior days. No wonder even King Fergus feared him slightly. " _Why have you done this, my son? WHY?_ "

"To set us free," Nuada called out in English. "I did this to set us all free, father!"

" _Do you not realize the consequences of your actions, Nuada_?" Balor reprimanded. " _You have broken an ancient allegiance between our people and mankind!_ "

"An allegiance based on shame!" Nuada spat passionately. "Mankind has forgotten the gods and desolated the earth. And for what- parking lots! Shopping centres! Trivial dedications to their greed!"

"He's right, your majesty," Pitch agreed, much to Merida's shock; it was the first time he had spoken aloud since the Tooth Fairy attack. "Mankind hasn't improved since those days when they used to wield spears and shields; again, greed has burned a hole in their hearts that cannot be filled. They will not ever have enough to satisfy themselves."

Balor's eyes narrowed at Pitch's words. " _I do not recognize you yet, hooded one,_ " he warned, " _but I know that only half of what you say is true. Not all men are as greed-driven and lacking of morals as you think- indeed, I have known some who actively defended nature from violation. King Fergus of Dunbroch_ (Merida's heart bounced again at the mention of her royal father) _, now he was a good king of men! He respected nature as much as he respected our people_ …"

"The Royal Household of Dunbroch is no more, father," Nuada heatedly interrupted.

" _My_ _ **point**_ _is, Nuada_ ," Balor sternly replied with a point of his silver finger, " _that whatever mankind does, whether evil or good, is only what is in their nature- just as it is within our nature to honour the allegiance_."

"HONOUR?!" Nuada shouted incredulously. He gestured to the whole throne chamber with outspread arms. "Look at this place- the ruins of a monument to mankind's arrogance. This is no forest. Where is the honour in it? Father, you were once a proud warrior. When did you become mankind's _pet_?"

Balor shook his head pityingly and covered his brow with his hand, as though Nuada's defiant words were making his head ache. The Elf prince then turned to face the assembled crowd and called aloud, "I have returned from exile to wage war and help us reclaim _our_ land, _our_ birthright! And for that, I will call upon the help of _all_ my people. And they will answer; the good, the bad…" he pointed at Mr. Wink, who growled in support of this statement, and then he pointed to Pitch, who finally dropped his hood, revealing his face. "And the worst."

The whole court gasped in shock; the Peiste bellowed angrily at the sight of Pitch, and King Balor got up from his throne in anger, pointing accusatively at Pitch.

" _Pitch Black?!_ " he snarled dangerously. " _You are not welcome in my court by my order!_ "

"But I am welcome by your son's order, it seems," the dark figure replied, with a suave grin at the Elven king. "You're not as polite as you once were, King Balor."

"And he is not the only one, Father!" Nuada added, before reaching into his pockets and producing the crown piece, which hung like a broken watch in his grip. "Look!"

The gasps increased. Balor covered his own belt pendant, which Merida quickly realized was his own crown piece. The king of Bethmoora was speechless with shock and anger.

" _First you pledge allegiance to the King of Nightmares. And now you wish to wake the Golden Army?_ " he seethed. " _I forbade the use of those monsters for a reason, Nuada. Surely you cannot be that mad!_ "

Nuada's expression was unmoved. "Perhaps I am that mad, Father," he replied. "Perhaps _they_ made me so."

" _And what do you hope to gain by this, brother?_ " Princess Nuala asked, approaching her brother slowly. " _Awaken the Army and you defeat mankind…but our green fields and forests cannot grow out of all that blood. Brother…_ " She was soothingly beseeching him now. " _Let the Army sleep. If our reign has ended, then let us all fade. Or else let nature regain a foothold for herself._ "

"We will not fade," Nuada whispered hotly to his sister.

"No, indeed," Pitch added smugly. "My daughter is the Guardian of all Nature(Merida's eyes widened). She would not want her beloved children to cower from mankind like bears in a cave."

Balor spoke again to Nuada, inviting him to turn his head, and his tone was softer now, and less fierce. " _But Mother Nature would not want us to slaughter all mankind needlessly either. For the last time, my son, I ask you: Would you turn against your own people for the sake of a metal crown and a merciless group of killers? Is this the path you have taken?_ "

"It is," Nuada agreed, just as softly. "I am sorry, father. But I will take no other path."

" _Then you leave me no choice, Nuada_ ," Balor gravely replied as he sunk back into his throne and turned to his Butcher Guards. " _Death_!" he whispered fiercely, before covering his head with his hand as though weeping with regret, and instantly the whole mood in the court chamber turned violent.

All the Butcher Guards in the chamber now thrust their ungainly-looking swords forwards and crossed them in an arch in front of Balor; their eyes were not visible, but all their heads were turned towards Pitch and Nuada. They were posed to kill.

Nuada turned to look at Nuala. "And you, sister," he asked, "are you at peace with your King's verdict?"

"I am, my brother," Nuala replied, speaking in English for the first time since they had entered the throne chamber. "I am."

Nuada lowered his gaze, and when he straightened up, his expression was solemn.

"Then so be it," the Elf prince murmured. "Death it is."

And then all chaos broke loose.

The first Butcher Guard charged at Nuada with his sword drawn, only to swing it on thin air; Nuada had ducked moments before the sword could cut through his throat. He then grabbed the Guard and flipped him over, twisting his neck and killing him. Then he took a sword from the half-human, half-raven and drove it into the second Guard's stomach; a brutal screech of pain and all was over.

"But not our death," Pitch chimed in, as he created a lengthy claymore from black sand and his clothes changed to a black kilt and plaid. Now he ran forwards, jumped onto one of the Guards and tackled him to the ground, driving his sword into his heart. He next confiscated another sword and threw it to Nuada, who charged forwards to fight more Butcher Guards. One of them he briefly transfixed by driving a sword into his foot, for which he was rewarded with a spray of black blood, before then cutting through the leather armour belt on his stomach and disembowelling him.

Mr. Wink now joined the fight; bringing his arm backwards, he elbowed one Butcher Guard, who fell to the ground, exposing a blood-stained dagger attached to the Troll's elbow; then he fired his metal hand forwards, grabbed hold of another Guard's head, pulling him backwards, and broke his neck with a snarl. Pitch and Nuada kept up their own fight; Pitch swung his sword, beheading one Butcher Guard so his head spun in a neat arc through the air. Nuada then ran sideways, up against the wall, before sweeping out and beheading another Butcher Guard, before then landing next to another Guard who managed to punch him in the face before Nuada drove two swords into his stomach and pushed the screeching, beak-faced gladiator to the ground with some display of strength. Immediately afterwards, blood started running from Nuada's right nostril, and he looked up at Nuala in alarm. Merida gasped along with the Princess, as Nuala's own right nostril started bleeding profusely. She remembered quickly a time when Nuala had told her that she and Nuada shared a special link known as the Banna Na Anamacha(the Bond of Souls)- they could not only read each other's thoughts and know each other's locations, but if one of them was injured, the other one shared that injury.

Nuada quickly wiped the blood away in shame at having injured Nuala, before turning to face the throne, twirling both swords in a flourish. Balor then slowly got to his feet, holding out his right arm in an almost welcoming way. And without hesitation, Nuada ran straight forwards- so did the two remaining Butcher Guards. As huge swords swung through the air, the Prince dropped to the ground, letting the blades pass over his head, whilst bringing his own swords up in a slice, disembowelling the Guards neatly, before then straightening up, dropping one sword, spinning around and lunging straight for the throne.

He had not sheathed his sword, however. The blade went straight into Balor's ribcage, and without even a cry of pain, the Elven King slumped backwards into his throne and stopped moving, his eyes closed and his mouth open. He was dead.

Merida's breath caught in her throat. King Balor, the closest thing Merida had ever had to an uncle, was dead- and at the hands of his own son, no less! If anything, Nuada seemed to share her shock as he took in what he had done. A golden pallor rippled outwards in waves over King Balor's flesh and robes, and as it passed over him, his skin turned almost golden white. Merida remembered with shock that the Bethmoora Elves turned to stone upon being killed, returning to the earth from which they were born. This was exactly what was happening now. Nuada reached out with one of his hands, weeping softly as he touched the now petrified cheek of his royal father. It was clear that he had never intended to go so far as to kill his own kin for vengeance on mankind.

Pitch Black, however, then stepped forward and placed a hand on the grieving Elven Prince's shoulders. "His fate is regrettable, my prince," the King of Fear said softly. "But then, so was his decision not to fight for the defence of his homeland. You can mourn his loss later- for now, take up the gauntlet!"

Nuada nodded slowly, but looked one last time upon King Balor. " _I always loved you, Father_ ," he whispered in Gaelic, " _But I must do this. For you, and for all of us._ "

He then reached won to the gold crown piece on Balor's belt- the only part of his clothing that hadn't turned to stone- and pulled it loose, breaking off a piece of Balor's stone stomach as he did so(Merida winced). He held out his own crown piece, and the two pieces unfolded, straightening into curved rectangular metal strips as they were held close to one another, Celtic swirl patterns interlocking between one another and changing shape as they slowly interconnected, until they had finally formed the shape of a perfect crestless crown.

Nuada finally turned around, saying "Now for the final piece, my sister," only to find that Nuala was gone. She must have fled, Merida realized, knowing her brother's intentions.

Nuada gritted his teeth and turned to Mr. Wink. "Find her, Wink. Find her!" He shouted quickly, and the huge cave troll ran off instantly. Pitch smiled coldly.

"Do not worry too much on your sister's behalf," he murmured. "There are others whom you should learn to fear more than her. I am the only one you can rely on, my Prince…"

They left quickly and quietly, Nuada glancing back sadly one last time at his petrified father. Almost instantaneously, the court of King Balor emptied in sadness, whilst Merida, instead of following the Prince, walked straight towards the dead king, her head bowed in respect. As she reached him, Merida placed her hand on the Elven king's brow.

" _Bealtaine_ _do spiorad_ _teacht ar a_ _bhealach isteach_ _Oileán_ _na_ _Bheannaithe_ _,_ _mo_ _thighearna_ _._ (May your spirit find its way into the Isle of the Blessed, my lord)" Merida whispered. But as she stroked the stone, it began to warm and soften beneath her hand, and all of a sudden, she saw the white pallor change in colour, until finally, a gasp alerted her that King Balor was not dead any more.

" _I know your voice_ ," the old king whispered. " _You remind me…of a human girl I once loved._ "

"I am that girl, yer highness," Merida replied croakily, relieved that his wounds weren't fatal after all. "I am Merida o' Clan Dunbroch."

" _Ah, Merida,_ " King Balor sighed. He reached out to touch her face with one hand, soft and wrinkled. " _The years have been exceptionally kind to you, it seems. It's been countless years since last we met… How is it that you are still alive?_ "

"I fell through a portal intae a different time, King Balor," Merida answered. "I'm still learnin' a lot about the modern world."

Balor chuckled softly. " _Always the curious and inquisitive girl I knew so well,_ " he smiled before his tone turned serious. " _Now listen well, Merida. My magic is low, but I have just enough to heal a wound that would otherwise have killed me. But I am not powerful enough to stop the King of Fear… or my wayward son, for that matter._ "

"Whit can I do then?" Merida asked.

" _You must find them, Merida. Make sure that they do not wake the Golden Army. I have spent years of troubled dreams thinking about the atrocities_ I _committed when in control of the Army… And I fear that if Nuada continues on this path, then he will bring about his own death- and his sister's death as well._ "

The Elven king looked straight at Merida with his glossy yellow eyes.

" _Save him, Merida. Save my son…save my daughter…save all the world from Nightmare's hatred. Do your legacy proud._ "

"I will, yer majesty," the Scot princess agreed. "I will no' fail you."

" _You never have, my dear. Now, wake. Your friends will have need of you now._ "

Merida's eyes snapped open. She was aboard the BPRD garbage truck, with all the members of the group seated around her. Her head darted wildly.

"Wha' happened?" she asked. "How long have I been out?"

"Only half the ride, Ginger," Hellboy replied. "Just 'cos I'm interested…why is it that you passed out?"

Merida looked up slowly. "Ah think I might have some kind o' connection wi' Nuada, Hellboy… Both times I've fallen asleep, I've seen visions o' wha' he's been up tae."

The demon nearly fell off his seat in shock. "OK, if what you've got is in any way steamy, I'm seriously concerned about your mental health, Princess."

Merida shot him a dirty look. "No' _those_ kind o' visions, ye cheeky imp(Hellboy looked slightly cheeked at being called an imp)! I meant I saw him releasin' those Tooth Fairies back at the Auction House, an' he was after the Crown Piece there."

"WHAT?!" Hellboy nearly got up from his seat, but sat down again as they passed over a speed bump.

"It makes sense in a way," Flynn added(he had got changed out of his usual clothes into a more stealth-ops type outfit, with binoculars on his helmet and a munitions pouch). "I'm only picking up bits and pieces: angry son, temptations of warfare, unstoppable army. This guy Nuada doesn't sound like the kind of guy to let go of old hatreds."

Merida nodded before adding, "An' just now, he was visitin' the court o' King Balor, an' he nearly killed him fer another crown piece!(Hiccup choked back a shocked profanity) He wants tae reawaken the Golden Army an' kill all mankind for what they've done tae nature. Him, an' another fella- a black-robed man called Pitch Black or somethin'."

"Ze Golden Army!" Dr. Krauss remarked. "Ze harbingers of death! Ze unstoppable tide…"

"Yeah, thank you, Dr. Krauss," Jack interrupted, before turning to Merida. "Merida, rewind a few seconds. Did you say Nuada was working with Pitch Black?"

"Aye," she agreed, then "Wait. Ye know him?"

Jack nodded grimly. "Yeah… I know him… and I wish I didn't."

"Who is this Pitch Black guy?" Liz asked aloud.

"He's what you guys more commonly refer to as the Bogeyman, Liz," Jack said. "He's another Guardian, but unlike the rest of us, he's evil. One time very recently, he tried to make all the children in the world stop believing in us Guardians, so that we would become weak and he could seize control of the world."

"And did he?" Abe interjected.

"No, he didn't, thanks to Jack," Tooth replied, ruffling Jack's hair with one hand. "But don't underestimate Pitch. He can take your worst fears and turn them into bloodthirsty Nightmares. Even when you think he's at his weakest, he jumps back to attack once more."

Hellboy looked utterly stricken. "Tooth Fairies and the Bogeyman," he muttered. "This day keeps getting better and better."

"Von zing I do not understand, Agent Frost," Krauss questioned, "is vhy should Pitch Black and Prince Nuada choose to join forces?"

"Well, Pitch said tha' his daughter is Mother Nature, Mr. Krauss," Merida replied. "I expect he's no' any more happy abou' wha' we've done tae nature than Nuada is."

"So, to recap, we're about to go up in arms against a vengeful, human-hating Elf prince and a childhood nightmare?" Astrid asked. After Merida nodded, the Viking shieldmaiden started polishing her axe lovingly. "Bring it on."

Hellboy chuckled to Hiccup. "You've got a girlfriend after my own heart, Viking boy. Keep up the good work." He then turned to Merida and added, "One last thing, Ginger. Have you and Punzie(Flynn mouthed incredulously at the nickname) still got those animal pendants from the Russian job?"

Merida nodded, knowing he was referring to the climatic battle between Rasputin's Nazis and the BPRD from four years ago. "Aye."

"Good. I think we're gonna need them." He then spoke to Dr. Krauss. "Hey, Johann, about the Troll Market, how do you suggest we start looking for it?"

Krauss chirped up, "Vell, ze first thing you must ask yourself, Agent Hellboy, is vot lives under ze Troll Market?"

"Trolls," everyone replied with a sigh.

" _Gutt_. _Und_ how do ve find ze Troll Market?" he continued. "Ve first must find a Troll."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 4: Trolls, Trolls and more Trolls

It was at least 6 o'clock when the BPRD turned up at the east end of the Brooklyn Bridge. Rapunzel and Hiccup had been reading on the history of the bridge beforehand, so they could recognize it as they pulled over. The BPRD agents had opened up a large wooden box, revealing two gold pendants which Rapunzel and Merida were now wearing around their necks- one shaped like a wolverine, the other one like a chameleon. The same pendants they'd used to fight against Rasputin back in Russia.

"My one seems a bit worse for wear," Merida grumbled as she adjusted the magical item around her neck. Behind her, Hellboy was busy grousing about Johann under his breath.

"'Not viz me, Agent, not viz me!'" he imitated Krauss' electronic German accent. "What an ego!"

"I like him," Manning replied, whilst walking off down the truck ramp.

"Well, you can keep him!" Hellboy snapped back at him. He then walked over to lean on top of a pair of heavy wooden crates. "Am I the only one who thinks this guy is…?"

"No, no, don't lean!" Abe called quickly, prompting the big demon to get his elbows back off the boxes. He looked at them himself. "Lot 336, the Schuftein spectacles," he murmured aloud. "Could it be?"

Krauss nodded. " _Ja_ , ze last surviving pairs. Zere are only three of zem, but ve vill use zem to locate ze Troll Market!"

"Oh, Dr. Krauss, the Schuftein spectacles!" Abe cried excitedly. "What a coup! You, sir, are my new hero!"

"Why don't you lick his shoes, Abe?" Jack sarcastically remarked as he walked out of the truck. Hiccup shot him a dirty look, then turned to Hellboy.

"Look, Hellboy," the young Viking said. "I know that you don't like Dr. Krauss, but we'll need his help in order to find this Troll Market place. So please, try to get along with him at least, for today."

Hellboy sighed long and hard, then looked up at Hiccup and nodded. "Ok, Hiccup, I'll be nice," he agreed, before walking off to reload his gun. Hiccup was wearing his dragon-riding armour, Rapunzel was wearing pink-and-purple scale armour, whilst Jack was in ice-blue Inuit-type clothes of his own making- Merida just wore a tartan cat-suit for agility.

Krauss then spoke to the whole group, "I vould like to suggest zat ve limit ze numbers of our expedition. Trolls, like bears, do not like being ozer-crowded. So ze only people who vill be going in are me, Agent Hellboy, Agent Sapien, and ze members of ze Big Four- Agent Frost, Princess Rapunzel, Princess Merida, _und_ Agent Hiccup."

Toothless growled sharply to remind Krauss that he was still there.

"And ze dragon also," Krauss corrected himself.

Just then, a man came walking by with his friend and called, "Hey, you're Hellboy?"

"Yeah," the demon in question called back.

"You're ugly, man!" the man shouted, before his friend threw a can of booze at his feet.

"Och, ye're no handsome sight yersel', man!" Merida shouted at him. The men looked angry and were about to approach her, but a deafening roar from Toothless soon convinced them otherwise.

"Aye, we've got a dragon, so ye cannae touch us!" Hellboy taunted them in Merida's accent. The two men then grunted irritably before walking off together.

As soon as they were gone, Merida then added, "Take nae heed o' that, Red. They're just two cowardly boasters talkin' out o' their ane backsides."

The big demon chuckled warmly before walking over to his girlfriend, who was listing the number of cameras they'd need in order to find a troll.

"Two more on the wall in front of me, and then three on the alley facing that way," she said to Astrid and Flynn, who were setting up the cameras. "And maybe one on top of your dragon, Astrid."

"She's got sharp enough vision already, Liz," Astrid replied. "I can scout ahead perfectly on Stormfly."

"Right, let's get to it, then," the black-haired pyrokinetic said, and Astrid called Stormfly over, then climbed back onto the colourful dragon's back before flying off to look for a troll.

Minutes later, another bunch of drunken louts came driving by, and one of them leaned out of the car window to ask, "Hey, are you Hellboy?"

"Say he's ugly an' I'm gonnae pepper yer backside with arrows," Merida snarled at him.

"B-but I wasn't gonna!" the man stuttered nervously, before withdrawing back into his car and driving off. _No-one insults me friends_ , Merida thought.

"So, what do you think of Mr. 'Know-it-all' so far?" Hellboy asked his girlfriend.

"I don't know, too early to tell," Liz replied, before then cupping her boyfriend's large red face in her hands. "He is sure of himself, and maybe you're a little intimidated by him."

Hellboy looked highly sceptical. Normally, _he_ was the one who intimidated people, not the other way around. Just then, however, gas-head Krauss interrupted, and gave the order to move out.

Whilst the rest of the BPRD agents were elsewhere, back aboard the garbage truck, Manning, Flynn and Liz were busy checking up on the CCTV. Flynn was inspecting one of the Schuftein spectacles- white leather straps, with a brown half-mask covering the right side of the face, whilst only the eye-rim was decorated on the left side. The spectacles themselves were glass lenses in collapsible metal tubes, like a pair of opera glasses.

"So, Liz," he asked, relaxed in his chair with his feet up. "Just what do these Shove-Eyes…?"

"Schuftein," Liz corrected him.

"Sorry," Flynn felt somewhat humiliated, since being German, he should have known how to pronounce that word himself. "What do these Schuftein spectacles do?"

Liz filled him in. "Well, you see, Flynn, normally Trolls and other mythical beings generate a cloaking aura. But in 1878, a German called Emile Schuftein created these. The spectacles contain four pairs of crystal dioptres which penetrate the shielding effect, and reveal the troll's true nature."

"Right," Flynn murmured suavely.

Back with the Big Four, they were off at the East End of the Brooklyn Bridge, busy trying out the Schuftein spectacles.

"Dr. Krauss, they're even more beautiful than I had imagined," Abe said as he toyed with the glass and metal mechanisms.

"So you must try zem on, zen," Krauss replied.

"Oh, yes," Abe agreed, as he fitted the spectacles onto his head.

"And my, just look at those little straps!" Rapunzel gushed to Pascal, whilst brushing the spectacles with her elegant fingers.

"Intimidated?" Hellboy grumbled to himself, before then saying to Johann Krauss, "Hey, Mr. Kraut…?"

"Krauss, Agent!" the ectoplasmic German reprimanded him. "Zere is a double S, remember?"

"SS, right." The demon corrected himself, cringing at Rapunzel's look of disapproval of his anti-German attitude. "Those gizmos, how do you know they work?"

Abe then said to him, "Hellboy, when was the last time you filed your horns? They've grown back to their full length already."

Hellboy felt his brow to check for horn growth- they were still filed-down stumps as always. "No, they're still stumps, Abe."

Abe frowned. "Well, these glasses, they say differently. When I looked at you just now, your horns were fully regrown- and their tips were on fire as well."

Hellboy nodded slowly, then gruffly added, "Well, I hope we don't have to see them again."

And Rapunzel nodded. The last time Hellboy's horns had grown back was when Rasputin tried to manipulate him into unlocking his full power and releasing the terrifying Ogdru Jahad upon mankind. Upon realizing what he was doing, he just managed to stop Rasputin by snapping his horns off, thus re-imprisoning the monsters and foiling the evil mystic's plans to rule the world. He'd been filing his horns diligently ever since.

But that is a different story altogether. Liz then called to them over their communicators, "Guys, I have a suspect. Astrid and Stormfly just sighted a Troll heading back to the Market."

"Give me a vector, Agent Sherman, give me a vector!" Krauss called back.

"B 12, alley, north alley," Liz replied.

"Zat's ze target," Krauss repeated to his group-mates. "Ve're coming down," he then said to Liz before they moved out.

"What kind o' Troll is it, Lizzie?" Merida called, tightening her grip on her transformation pendant.

Liz laughed softly. "You'll like it, Merida. It's a Scottish Troll."

Back in the BPRD truck, Liz said to Manning and Flynn, "I'm just going out. Keep an eye on it." She pointed at the suspect on the CCTV footage. It was an old lady, with an untidy grey bird's nest of hair, dark brown eyes, and a black coat and hat. Entirely harmless-looking to most people.

Including Manning. "What, this old lady is a Troll?" he said sceptically. "Come on."

But Liz' expression was unwavering. "It's a Fragglewump," she said. "An ugly Scottish Troll which lives in sea caves." She then picked up a birdcage with a canary in it.

"AAAAAAARRGGGGGGHHH!" Flynn screamed, as he slipped on the Schuftein spectacles and took a close look at the CCTV footage. The old lady was now a seriously revolting sight.

Liz smirked. "Told you, Rider," she said to him.

"Alright, why did you send Blondie to that thing with a canary?" Flynn asked, as soon as he'd calmed down.

"Fragglewumps are scared of canaries," Liz replied. "They try to peck their eyes out and poo on their heads."

"Canaries, huh?" Manning noted the shopping trolley full of cages with cats in them- the Fragglewump was pushing the trolley in front of it. "What about the cats?"

"She feeds on them," Liz replied casually, before walking off.

Flynn's expression was both shocked and revolted. "That thing's a she?" he asked, looking at the ugly Troll again.

"Well, I'm not kissing it to find out," Manning said to the handsome swashbuckler. "Eats cats, huh? Hellboy's not gonna like that."

Back with the group, they had been following the old lady further down the alley until they came to an abrupt halt and tried to hide themselves behind a dumpster, whilst Toothless tucked himself between the bin bags to look at the old lady.

"Och, she's an ugly one," Merida hissed under her breath to Hellboy. "I havnae seen a worse-lookin' Fragglewump since one time me and me family visited the Orknies back in 1149!"

"Pardon me, Princess," Krauss asked. "But how can you see zat Troll vizzout ze spectacles?"

"Tha' Troll is frae Scotland. _I'm_ frae Scotland. I've seen sae many spirits an' monsters there, I dinnae need magical eyes tae recognize them!"

"And I can see her as well," Hiccup added. "Since the age of five, I used to go out hunting for Trolls in the forests. This one's not a Scandinavian Troll, but I can see it anyway."

Krauss turned his head to Jack and Rapunzel. "And you, Frost and Princess? Vot is your excuse?"

"Well, I'm invisible except to people who believe in me, so I can see things that most people can't," Jack said.

Rapunzel simply said, "When you've spent eighteen years living with a chameleon that can camouflage itself, it does wonders to your eyesight."

Krauss nodded. "Fair enuss."

Just then, Hellboy stuck his head up over the dumpster, and Krauss pulled him back down again.

"Down, you fool!" he hissed. "Vot do you think you're doing?"

"She's gonna eat the cat!" Hellboy protested fiercely. Jack sympathised with him- he'd almost forgotten that the big demon was an avid cat-lover. Watching this was sheer torture for him.

"You vill alert her to our presence," Krauss snapped, but Toothless was also getting agitated, his growling beginning to softly increase in volume, though the Fragglewump paid him no attention- perhaps she just thought he was a large hound of some kind.

"I think we should use the canary," Rapunzel said, pointing to Abe's birdcage tucked under one arm.

"She's gonna eat it!" Hellboy hissed desperately.

"We should use the bird, Mr. Krauss," Hiccup said, trying to reason with the glass-headed German.

"She's gonna…" Hellboy protested.

"You vill all stay put and follow my orders," Krauss sternly replied.

"Look, we can't sit by…" Abe insisted.

"Under my command, you _have_ to obey!" Krauss was getting angry now, but Hellboy was even angrier.

"Oh, forget this!" he snarled, before getting up from behind the dumpster and stepping in plain view of the Fragglewump, who was about to eat one of the cats. Toothless, Jack, Hiccup, Rapunzel and Merida followed him, whilst Abe brought up the rear.

The Fragglewump's eyes, though its appearance had not change, had been getting disturbingly wide, as had its mouth, as it bent down over the cat. Now its hungry expression had turned to one of gentle surprise as it looked up at the 8 newcomers.

"Lucy, we're home!" Hellboy said to the supposed old lady.

"Oh, hello, dearies," the Fragglewump said in a Scottish accent(whatever else you could say about it, it was undoubtedly a woman). "What can I do for ye?"

But Hellboy's mock-cheery tone had now turned intimidating. "Give it up, nasty, we can see you."

And the Fragglewump's expression faltered, as did its physical appearance, so that what stood before them was no longer an old Scottish woman, but a sickeningly deformed-looking Troll. The Fragglewump wore no clothes, and its skin was wrinkled and flabby. Its head was misshapen and round, with little on top except for some long, sparse black hairs- its nose was small, and its tight lips pursed around sharp little teeth like a weasel, and its eyes were a melancholy stone-turquoise, wide-spaced in its face. The Troll's arms were small in proportion with the rest of its body, with very thin wrists and jointed fingers with short black claws- they looked almost like a Tyrannosaur's arms. Its legs, on the other hand, were very long and large, its ankles pointing forwards like a horse's fetlocks. And its toes were shaped more like arched fingers, with dirty brown nails. And its bottom hung behind it like a bloated ant's abdomen.

Currently, though, this ugly animal looked more terrified than terrify _ing_.

"Ye see me?" she cried, her voice still that of an old lady. "How? How can ye see me?"

Hellboy tapped his and Abe's Schuftein spectacles, then added for the rest of the group, "These guys just have good eyes."

Hiccup stepped forwards, drawing Inferno from its sheath in case the Fragglewump got violent. "Hey, Troll," he said casually, "We're looking for the entrance to the Troll Market. Have you got any clues?"

The Fragglewump bared her teeth. "I'm warnin' ye, Viking laddie," she growled, "come any closer an' I'll rip out yer hearrrrrrt!"

Merida, her own expression dangerous, pinched her transformation pendant as she jumped forwards. Ginger fur grew from her skin, rapidly changing into fur, her fingernails lengthened to claws, and her face grew into a muzzle, so that when she fell on top of the Fragglewump, she had become a human-sized orange wolverine.

"No' if I rip your heart out first, Fragglewump!" the transformed princess snarled, pressing her claws against the flabby wrinkles of the Troll's throat. The rest of the Four were quickly turning just as threatening- Rapunzel drew her frying pan, Jack creating a spiked ball of ice atop his staff, Hiccup ignited Inferno, and Toothless bared his teeth and began to build up fire in his throat.

"A Night Fury!" the Fragglewump whimpered. "I thought they were all dead!"

"No, but you'll be all dead in a minute if you dinnae show us the way!" Merida continued, pressing her claws in a bit deeper; she pricked the skin slightly, drawing a small bead of blood.

"I think we'll have to get a bit old school, Merida," Hellboy said, before nodding to Abe and adding, "Pass me the bird, please." The psychic fish person quickly passed him the canary cage, which he brandished in front of the Troll's face.

"Oh, no!" she sobbed. "Not a canary!"

"Well, look at that; she's afraid of this little guy." Hellboy said to Abe. "Who would have suspected it?"

"Me," Jack replied. "I've got into fights with some Fragglewumps before. They all ended up in hysterics the moment they went in the petshop."

"Shut up," Hiccup said to the annoying spirit.

"No more, no more!" the Fragglewump protested from beneath Merida. "I'll take ye there."

"Good," Hiccup said. "Now release those cats from their cages."

Not bothering to shield herself again, the Troll pushed Merida off, unlocked all her cages and began releasing the cats, which ran off mewing cheerfully.

"We could keep them," Hellboy suggested.

"No," Hiccup corrected him.

"You've got enough cats as it is, Red," Hiccup continued. "And your house is too crowded anyway."

"Fine," Hellboy sighed, then Merida changed back into her normal form and pointed an arrow at the Fragglewump's face.

"Come on, let's go, ye dirty old Troll," the princess growled, turning the ugly creature around and making her walk forwards. The Fragglewump led them into the back of a butcher's shop, where the meat was hung up on metal hooks. She pushed away a signpost with her little hands, revealing a tunnel entrance which they went down.

"Agent Sherman," Krauss said over the communicators. "Ve are now going into ze Troll Market. Keep communication to a minimum. Over and out."

"I like him," Manning said back at the garbage truck. "See, this is a man who takes charge."

"Do you think?" Liz sneered, looking at the footage showing Krauss holding back from the brouhaha ensuing between the Fragglewump and the Big Four.

Manning ignored her tone and continued, "Yes, he is efficient, you see. He is precise."

"If you add resistant to that, you could be talking about a new watch," Tooth jibed. She was perched next to one of the computers, watching Jack walking behind the Fragglewump, and admiring the way he swept back his icy white hair…. _No! Stop that, Tooth! You've got more important things to think about_.

Manning continued, "Dr. Krauss is well aware of the chain in command."

"Oh, no," Liz grumbled as she got up and walked off.

"And he appears to like me," the BPRD director continued.

"You keep telling yourself that, Manning," Flynn scoffed to himself.

Back in the tunnel, the Big Four had now come before a massive metal made of cogs and gears, with Roman numeral codes above the entrance, and long metal cables running from electrical boxes along walls. Next to the door were three tumblers on the wall, like safe mechanisms.

"Man, that's some door," Hellboy murmured as he looked up at the door.

"It's got a complex combination lock," Krauss added as he looked at the tumblers. "Vot do you zink, Agent Sapien?"

"Not good," Abe replied. "With the number of symbols on the combination, we'll be here for days."

"Not if ve do things my vay," Krauss began, but Hellboy interrupted him.

"Let me try my technique," he said, then turned to the Fragglewump. "Open it, Lucy."

"No!" the Fragglewump replied obstinately. Merida pressed her arrow against the ugly pest's spine.

" _Please_ open it, ye stubborn mule!" she said through a forced smile.

"I will no'!" the Fragglewump snapped.

"Pretty please," Hellboy wiled, whilst leaning forwards with his canary cage.

The Fragglewump drew herself up on her long legs and glared into the big demon's yellow eyes. "Do as ye may, demon," she spat at him. "Release th' yellow beast, set yer Viking friend's dragon on me, shoot me, club me, freeze me, burn me, rip me eyes out, tear out me insides, me legs an' me tongue, but whate'er ye do tae me, I will ne'er open tha' door!"

Hellboy shook his head. "Then I guess we don't need you right now," he said, before gesturing with his head to Toothless. The dragon obligingly walked in front of the Troll, then lifted his tail up. And with a crack, his back leg shot out and rammed into the Fragglewump's stomach, throwing her backwards through the air with a scream of alarm, her long legs waving until she finally slammed into a metal wall with a clang and fell to the ground, unconscious.

Krauss glared at Hellboy. "Is zat your investigative technique?" he sternly remarked.

Hellboy was unrepentant. "She said never," he defended himself. "I was gonna punch her myself, but I thought it would just dirty my fist."

"It's unconscionable!" Krauss objected. Hellboy gave Hiccup a confused look.

"I think that means he didn't like it," the Viking boy filled in.

Hellboy then irritably asked Krauss, "Ok, are you gonna show us how it's done, Mr. 'By-the-book'?"

"Yes, I think I vill," the German replied, before walking over to the combination lock. Taking hold of a metal valve on his breast, Krauss turned the valve and opened it, at which point white ectoplasm started seeping out of Krauss' body. As the ectoplasm seeped out, Krauss' protective clothing seemed to slowly collapse in on itself, like a deflating balloon. Jack quickly realized that Krauss' whole body didn't in fact have any solid structure; when released from his suit, he was essentially a living gas. Krauss then poured himself into the combination lock tumblers, which began turning in a certain order. In response, the massive metal gears of the door began slowly turning, and the metal sheets retracted, the door opening to reveal an entrance into what looked like a lively underground city; pipes and tanks coated the stone buildings, as well as canvas shades, and Trolls and other mythical beings of all kinds walked around the streets.

"I dinnae believe it," Merida murmured.

"So this is a Troll Market," Hiccup whispered.

And with a loud hiss, Krauss' ectoplasm re-emerged from the combination locks, and poured back into his suit, gradually re-inflating it. As soon as he had returned to normal, the German then closed the valve on his breast, and walked over cheerfully to stand in front of the entrance.

"Gentlemen, ladies _und_ dragon," Krauss said aloud, "Velcome to ze Troll Market!"

The Troll Market was a lively place of various interesting creatures. Some of them were tall, exotically-dressed Trolls, who looked vaguely similar to Arabian merchants- others were figures who wore paper fishes on top of their heads; small Tooth Fairies danced around the Market, like the kind which had attacked the group at Blackwood Auction House. Some of the Trolls were massive, scaled monsters, like black anglerfishes, and walked with their large, curved teeth protruding from their bottom lips. Abe, in particular, was drawn to a short, fat green creature seated behind a wooden table. He had a white throat, no nostrils, and the face of a fish, with a flabby bladder behind his head, two glossy muddy eyes and long arms that ended in winding, octopus fingers.

" _Fresh fish,_ " he called in a foreign language which was neither Gaelic nor Scandinavian. " _Get your fresh fish._ " And he brought down a cleaver, beheading a large mackerel. Abe winced at the sight of a fellow fish being treated in this manner.

Hiccup, however, managed to pay the fish merchant for three mackerels, which he gave to Toothless(it turned out he knew the English language, but couldn't speak it), and the dragon ate them happily.

Hellboy's communicator came on, and Liz' voice spoke urgently through it. "Red, there's something really important that I need to tell you."

Rapunzel's shoulders tensed as she realized: Liz wanted to tell Hellboy that she was pregnant with his child. However, Hellboy was not in the right mood to listen to her.

"Liz? You should be here," he said back to her. "You'd love it. Nobody's looking at any of us. We blend right in."

Just then, Krauss sternly whispered to him, "Agent, I said ve should keep communication to a minimum. You'll blow our cover."

"I think he's right," Abe added afterwards, just to soothe Hellboy's temper.

Hellboy sighed before saying to Liz, "I'm bringing you here for sure, babe. However, Krauss wants the radio silence. I'll move on to radio silence, so…"

"Over and out," Liz cut him off, before turning off her communicator.

Meanwhile, Hiccup, Toothless and Abe were off walking through the streets, when they made out an interesting figure walking by. It wore a desert yellow flowing cape and hood, as well as a veil covering its mouth. But what really caught their gaze was the figure's left arm; around its wrist, it wore a gold bracelet, with what looked like a branching tree emblem.

"Psst, Abe," Hiccup hissed under his breath to the piscine man. "You see that bracelet? It looks just like the Father Tree that Merida was telling us about."

"Yes, Hiccup, it is," Abe agreed. "That must be the Royal Seal of Bethmoora."

The figure must have heard them, however, for it turned to look at them, revealing the upper half of a face with skin the colour of milk, and two glossy yellow eyes, with golden skin around the eyelids. For a few moments, the figure's eyes met Abe's eyes, and then she turned and walked off. Abe slowly began to follow her, and Hiccup and Toothless kept up, just to ensure that he didn't go in over his head.

"Red, can you hear us?" Hiccup called on his communicator.

"Yeah, Black'n'blue," Hellboy replied, "I hear you, but I'm watching Sherlock get to work."

Krauss was repeatedly pressing in on numerous Trolls and asking them questions, but they were completely ignoring him. Jack and Rapunzel were even less successful, since the Trolls recoiled, covering themselves up and shielding their eyes from the waves of icy wind and golden light which accompanied both Guardian and princess. Merida, on the other hand, was getting a lot of information from the Trolls, though none of it was the information they wanted. The Trolls she was speaking to in Gaelic were Henkies, limping sea-Trolls who were sharing the history of their kind with Merida.

Finally shoving her way to the front of the group, Merida made out two Trolls seated underneath what looked like a makeshift barber's stall. One of them had skin which was brown and rough like a bull's, a round, pointed head and a large nose, and his chin was covered in white shaving foam; clinging to his breast was a round-headed baby Troll with large brown eyes. The second, the barber, was a huge, gargoyle-type Troll with massive nostrils in his jutting muzzle, huge red eyeballs with brown irises, massive bat-like ears, a hefty stomach, and scaled brown skin like a "Komodo Dragon" which Jack had taught Merida about. He held a razor in one hand.

"Mr. Krauss, who's tha' big fella wi' th' razor?" she asked the gas-built German.

"Zat, princess, is a Cronie Troll," he replied. "Zey originated in Germany, and are von of ze most benevolent of all Trolls."

He then walked over to the Cronie Troll barber and asked him and his customer, "I beg your pardon, gentlemen. Have eizer of you two seen anyvone purchasing zis type of Toos Fairy?" He showed a photo of the dead Tooth Fairy to the Trolls.

"No-one sells them around here, pal," the shaved Troll said in a Russian accent.

"Over in Jersey, maybe," the Cronie Troll said. His own voice was a deep, American-accented growl.

"I thought ye said this eejit would help us, Krauss!" Merida hissed after pulling the German aside.

"I said zat Cronie Trolls are benevolent Trolls, not zat zey are helpful!" Krauss hissed back before then turning to face the Trolls again.

"In zat case, vot about zis?" he said. "Do you recognize zis seal?" he showed the emblem of the Royal Seal to the two Trolls, who looked more shocked by it.

"Make them go away," the baby Troll whined to its father, and the Cronie Troll barber quickly growled, "No, we don't!"

"You'd better go. Now!" the father Troll hissed to his barber, whereupon Merida shoved past Krauss to try her own luck.

"Look, laddies, we need ye tae answer our questions," she said, in a tone of thinly-veiled impatience, "so if ye could please tell us, then we'll be on our way!"

"Ve'll make it vorth your vhile!" Krauss added, but the Cronie Troll was now getting seriously angry- with a roar, he got to his feet and spun Krauss round to face him with one hand, using his other hand to do the same to Merida.

"Do not waste our time, humans!" he snarled. "We do not talk!"

Hellboy attempted to get forwards, but Rapunzel quickly shoved past him and stood in front of the barber, looking up at him with surprising cool, considering how much taller he was than her.

"Are you sure you're not gonna talk, Mr. Cronie?" she asked sweetly, whilst fluttering her eyelids up at him.

"Absolutely, blondie," he growled, unmoved by her charms.

"So you're not talking?"

"Never!"

"Never?"

"Never ever EVER!"

Then Rapunzel sprung her trap. "Not even if I do _this_?" and she reached behind her and pulled out Pascal from her coat pocket. As soon as she held out the chameleon, the Cronie Troll's whole mood changed dramatically.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, dropping his razor and attempting to get back from Rapunzel, only for Jack to create a wall of ice behind him so he couldn't run out on them. "YOU'VE GOT A LIZARD! I HATE LIZARDS!"

Rapunzel frowned. "Pascal's a chameleon, not a lizard," she said.

The Cronie Troll glared at her. "Chameleons _are_ lizards," he retorted. "I don't like them! They stick their tongues inside my nose!"

Rapunzel gritted her teeth. "Good for me, then," she said, before grabbing hold of him by the skin of his throat. Now she started slapping him in the face with her frying pan, making spit spray from his mouth. At the same time, Hellboy started slapping the father Troll across his own face, and Krauss didn't criticise the big demon's violent investigative technique for once- it was the only way they'd get any information out of these stubborn Trolls.

"What about now?" Hellboy asked, after two minutes of slapping. "Are you feeling chattier?"

"We'll never talk," the baby Troll said scornfully, whereupon demon and princess both prepared to start bashing their suspects again.

"Wait!" the Cronie Troll cried. "Wait a minute! Please, don't hit us anymore!"

"Cowards," the baby Troll taunted them, but Rapunzel was already relaxing her grip slightly.

"Then answer our questions," she said, her voice a lot firmer now. "Who bought the Black Forest Tooth Fairies?"

And their worst suspicions(except for Merida) were confirmed when the Cronie Troll whimpered painfully, "Prince Nuada."

"Oh, yeah?" Hellboy asked.

"They say Prince Nuada broke the pledge of peace," Cronie continued. "He killed over 70 humans and his own father for the Royal Crown pieces, and now there is talk of war. A war with the human world."

 _Tha's no' gonna happen,_ Merida thought grimly. Rapunzel then released the barber.

"Thank you for this valuable information, sir," she said, her tone a lot calmer now. "And, just to compensate for our rough treatment of you…"

She pulled out a block of marzipan and broke it in half, offering it to the father Troll and the Cronie. They accepted it graciously, their past fear and bad temper forgotten now. Rapunzel smiled nostalgically; these Trolls reminded her of the Snuggly Duckling thugs- intimidating, yet pretty friendly when you knew how to appeal to them.

"I'm impressed, Princess," Krauss said. "How did you know to do zat?"

Rapunzel grinned to him. "I did my research before we got here, Dr. Krauss," she said. "The word 'Cronie Troll' is essentially a corrupted form of 'Corona Troll.' I first heard of them a few years after I returned to the palace. They have a similar fear of lizards as that Fragglewump did of canaries. But you can bribe them with marzipan. They love it. I just hadn't tried it out until now."

Krauss didn't have a visible mouth, but if you could see it, the likelihood is he would be grinning.

"Sorry, kid," Hellboy added to the baby Troll.

"That's all right."

"By the way," Jack added, stroking its head, "You're a very nice baby Troll."

"I'm not a baby," it corrected him, "I'm a pimple." Then Merida noticed that its fingers and waist were directly attached to its father's flesh.

"Well, then," Jack awkwardly corrected himself, "you're a nice spot of Troll acne."

Back with Abe and Hiccup, the Viking boy said as they slowly approached the outskirts of a tall bazaar-type shop, "You sure we're going the right way, Abe?" By way of an answer, Abe pointed out the caped figure inside the shop, closing a large metal grille window system to obscure itself.

Abe told Hellboy over the communicators, "Yes, Red. We're following the lead right now. It may turn out to be nothing…"

Toothless shoved them away from a musician with an octopus-type head, playing a barrel organ with some strange small animal with two whistle-shaped heads, almost like a monkey. "But we will let you know soon enough."

They ducked underneath a yellow banner of Arabic design- Toothless caught his head in it briefly, but was quickly released- and approached the shop doors.

Pressing his ears against the doors, Hiccup made out faint snatches of conversation. "What do you want?...Tell me your name…Follow me…"

Then Hiccup heard important words from whoever was speaking- a man, judging by his voice- as he said, "Your father, King Balor, left you this map. In it, he said, lies the key to the location of the Golden Army."

Hiccup immediately removed his head, then nodded to Abe. They both knocked on the doors, whereupon the man said aloud, "Quickly! This way, Your Highness." The sound of footsteps, and then Hiccup pushed upon the shop doors and he and Abe stepped inside the shop.

It was a place lit by orange ceiling bulbs, with huge wooden shelves which contained old maps. The shopkeeper himself was a man with glossy, almond-shaped brown eyes; he wore a turquoise coat and had no visible mouth, just a toad-like nose and a roughly-hewn stone muzzle, but the top of his head was most interesting, for it was shaped like a miniature stone castle, with pointed towers spiking upwards from his brow.

"Can I help you, sirs?" he said, surprisingly well-spoken for a creature with no mouth.

"Yes, we were just wondering whether you've got any maps of Algiers," Abe quickly asked.

The shopkeeper, in a manner worthy of Trader Johann, walked over to a shelf and said, "Well, all our maps of Africa are up here, sir…"

"We meant in this section," Hiccup interrupted, before rounding a corner with Abe, ignoring the protests of "You can't go in there!" until he was confronted by the hooded figure.

Except _she_ was no longer hooded.

The woman had long flowing blond hair, and sported an interesting scar across the bridge of her nose. Yet aside from this, as well as her unusual skin and eye colour, she seemed strangely beautiful in a way, with high cheekbones and dark pink lips. But her expression now was little short of dangerously suspicious.

"Sirs, why are you both following me?" she asked sharply.

"We weren't," Hiccup protested, thinking quickly. "We just came here to look at some old maps…"

"With a dragon in your company? And a Night Fury of all dragons? Please, Viking, either invent a more plausible excuse or don't bother."

Man, this woman was too sharp for him. Hiccup stepped forwards, reaching for the hilt of Inferno, but the woman moved with the reflexes of a lion. In one fell swoop, she got hold of the scrawny Viking youth by the throat and pinned him against the wall with one hand. It was then that Hiccup made out her pointed, leaf-shaped ears. She was an Elf.

" _Cuir lámh amháin in aice le go claíomh, Lochlannach_ ," she said smoothly, " _agus ní bheidh mé leisce ort a ghearradh do scornach_." And although Hiccup didn't speak Irish Gaelic, he understood from Merida what this Elven woman had just said: _Put one hand near that sword, Viking, and I won't hesitate to cut your throat_. Yet somehow, her threat seemed more out of desperation than direct ill-will.

"And what of you?" the Elf added, turning to face Abe and Toothless, who was snarling threateningly at her for rough handling of Hiccup. "Did my brother send you both to steal the Crown piece?"

"Your brother?" Abe repeated, as he also approached the woman. "Oh, you're mistaken, I assure you…"

But the Elf just drew a curved dagger with a glossy brown hilt decorated with gold patterning, which she then pressed against Abe's chest, holding him back. Toothless looked like he might jump forwards onto the Elven woman if Hiccup wasn't silently pleading him not to attack on his behalf.

"Then answer me truthfully," she continued. "Why were you following me?"

Abe continued, "My name is Abraham Sapien…"

The woman cut him off by moving the dagger to the underside of his throat and breathing apparatus. "There is no such name," she hissed.

"I know, I don't like it either," Abe said, but the woman just moved her dagger away from his throat.

"Enough of this," she said. "Give me your hands, both of you." Hiccup felt her grip lighten on his throat, and reached out his left hand to press it against the woman's own. Abe, in response, removed his own glove and pressed his webbed hand against the woman's right hand. She must be doing a mind-reading trick similar to Abe's own power.

"You are agents of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence," she said, her yellow eyes darting between their faces. Her gaze then strayed to Hiccup as she added, "The scar on your chin happened at the earliest stages of your life(he winced at her surprising knowledge), and you are the son of the tribal chieftain of Berk. Your dragon is at least as old as you are."

Toothless managed a gummy grin, then the woman withdrew her hands and began, "And your names are…"

"Horrible, we know," Hiccup and Abe both finished.

Hiccup then added, "Trust me, though. Hiccup's not one of the worst names. Viking parents believe that a really ugly name scares off Orcs and Trolls."

The woman chuckled in a more friendly way. "If that way were true, all who live in this Market would have already fled the moment you first entered it."

She now turned to Abe to introduce herself. "I am Nuala, Princess Nuala. The sister of Prince Nuada Silverlance, and the daughter of King Balor Silverarm."

"Yes, I know," Abe replied, bowing his head briefly. "Forgive me, Princess, but as you were learning about us, I couldn't help but learn a little about you as well."

Hiccup's ears pricked up at this point. Had Abe just…flirted, in a manner of speaking? Nuala's smile certainly seemed to suggest so.

Abe then continued, "I know that you need our help, your Highness."

Nuala shook her head. "I'm afraid it's the other way around," she said.

Just as Hiccup was about to ask why, a resonating crash alerted him to the presence of a fifth party who had just entered the shop.

After years of spending time with dragons, spirits, and mythical beings, you'd think nothing else could surprise Hiccup. But even he was taken aback by the gigantic brute which came lumbering in with an air of brutality and evil intentions.

"Uh, Princess Nuala?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the one-eyed, metal-armed Cave Troll before him. "Who is that?"

"It's Mr. Wink," Nuala replied, "A Cave Troll of unmatched strength and anger. He's Nuada's strongest servant."

Under normal circumstances, Hiccup might have made up a jibe about a 6'9'' killing machine having a name like Mr. Wink. The best he could manage on this occasion though, was "Da da da da, we're dead."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 5: Wink and you'll miss it

Hiccup's first thoughts were that Mr. Wink looked like a "gorilla" from one of Abe's nature books back in the BPRD. He was tall, walked on two legs and was powerfully-built, with numerous bulging muscles, small ears and two slightly prominent nostrils over a jutting muzzle of a mouth. But unlike what Abe had told him about gorillas, which had black fur, this guy had no fur, just leathery, wrinkled blue-grey skin like an elephant, and faint swirl tattoos on his upper torso. What hairs he did have were two black sideburns leading down the flanks of his muzzle, and long, quill-type hairs covering his back. His feet were a pair of broad, solid brown hooves, like a massive bull, and he wore leather greaves of the same colour, and studded metal strips around his feet like sandals. His waist was covered with a brown leather kilt and wraps around his lower chest and stomach, with the emblem of Bethmoora on his belt. And he wore a vambrace around his left arm, drawing attention to his huge yellow fingernails and meaty hands. He had one brown eye with two pupils- his left eye was little more than twisted red skin- " _No wonder he's called Mr. Wink, then,_ " Hiccup thought.

But what was most eye-capturing about Wink was his right arm. It was completely severed at the wrist, and replaced with a huge metal prosthesis decorated with iron studs and ending in a four-fingered hand- each finger was rectangular and wide, and looked suitable for only one task- killing. In a way, he was very similar to Hellboy himself- tattoos, hooves for feet, big, brawny, and with right arms made of artificial materials- stone in Hellboy's case, metal in Wink's case.

Every fibre of Hiccup's being was screaming at him to get out of the shop and run from the massive brute, but he then had an idea. Ignoring incredulous whispers of "what are you doing?" from both Abe and Nuala, the scrawny Viking boy pushed forwards until he was stood right in front of the Cave Troll. It felt almost as if he was before one of the usual brawny giants back in Berk.

" _So, your name is Mr. Wink, then?_ " Hiccup spoke, reverting to his mother tongue of Danish. Gasps from behind, but Hiccup wasn't looking.

The Cave Troll raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth- exposing big yellow incisors and two short tusks like a boar- one of them was broken to a stump, suggesting he had seen his fair share of battle scars.

" _You speak the language of_ Trolls?" Wink replied. He had a very deep, intimidating voice, more resonant and bestial than Hellboy's.

" _Yes, I am a member of the Viking tribes of Berk_ ," Hiccup agreed. " _Danish is my birth-language_."

So they'd established a language bond. Good. Hiccup continued, " _I'm guessing you're not interested in our left socks, right?"_

Wink laughed, a terrifying sound. " _What would I want socks for, you fool? The Elf-woman there,"_ here he pointed a metal finger at Princess Nuala. " _She has something made of gold. Something my master wants back._ "

Hiccup gritted his teeth and drew Inferno from its hilt. "Well, if you want the Elf, you'll have to get past me first," he warned, preparing to fight.

Mr. Wink cracked his knuckles together. " _You wish to fight against a Troll? So be it. This will be easy._ " And he started to walk forwards, hands opened in a "bring-it-on" gesture.

Abe immediately turned to Nuala. "Out of the window!" he hissed quickly. "We'll deal with this!" Nuala quickly slid out of an open window whilst Abe drew his pistol from his belt. However, Wink was too quick for him. With a roar, the Cave-Troll grabbed the piscine man by his head and swung at Hiccup, knocking the one-legged Viking over and enabling him to bash Abe against the desks and floors of the shop, ignoring his cries of pain until he finally threw him straight through the metal window frames, prompting Hiccup to run out after his friend. Toothless, with a protective growl, jumped after his master.

"I'm all right, Hiccup!" Abe insisted as the young Viking tried to get him up. With a roar, Wink climbed through the window, out into the street. Hiccup clicked the pommel of Inferno, activating the sword's burning properties. As Wink prepared to punch his flesh fist into Abe's face, Hiccup drove Inferno into his knuckles. A howl of pain was the only sound Wink made, before he grabbed hold of Hiccup by his waist, his grip painfully tight, and he lifted the helpless Viking to his face.

" _It's been years since the last time I ate a man_ ," the Troll growled, " _a shame I'll have to start with one such as you_." Then his mouth gaped before Hiccup's face, giving him an even closer look at the inside of his throat.

But the bone-splitting chomp never came. Instead, with a soft _shunk_ , an arrow flew through the air and pierced Wink's left shoulder. The Troll gave a cry of anger and dropped Hiccup into the massive puddle at his feet. Hiccup spun around just in time to see Merida and Hellboy standing in front of the Troll. Wink roared at them and lifted his metal fist, whereupon Hellboy fired his pistol, and bullets bounced off the fist.

Lifting a cigar to his mouth, Hellboy looked at Hiccup sharply. "Get out of here, Hicc," he said. "Take Abe and the lady with you. Leave Ugly to me."

Hiccup got up and ran over to Abe and Nuala, whilst Toothless stayed behind, baring his teeth in a snarl as Wink recovered himself. Now the fight began.

"You," Hellboy called over to Mr. Wink. The Cave-Troll roared at him defiantly.

"Let me put this to ya as delicately as I can," the nonplussed demon continued, before lifting a cigar to his mouth. Mr. Wink raised his metal fist, as though poised to punch, and then...

PYOING!

The fist shot forwards out of its wrist socket on a chain, and flew straight into Hellboy's face- a spray of sparks and he fell over into a puddle.

"HELLBOY!" Merida shouted, running over to the big demon to help him up to his feet. "Are ye a'right?"

Hellboy groaned angrily as he picked up the crushed remains of his cigar from the puddle. "My cigar, it was Cuban!" he cursed.

Merida didn't care for Hellboy's smoking habits, but she did care that the big Troll had upset her friend. "Let's kick his backside, laddie." She reached over to pick up Hellboy's revolver, whilst behind them both, Mr. Wink retracted his metal fist into his wrist and walked towards them, snarling.

Merida quickly loaded another arrow to her bow, but Mr. Wink just caught it between two metal fingers and snapped it. He then grabbed Hellboy by one arm and one leg, holding him above his head in a grappling pose.

Hellboy just had enough time to say "Oh, poo!" just before Mr. Wink threw him through the air and he fell to the ground in the middle of the market.

Merida cursed under her breath, before tightening her grip on the wolverine necklace. She felt the adrenaline rush as she changed forms, then ran at the big Troll and threw herself onto Wink's shoulders.

Merida started clawing and biting him, but it was more to her discomfort than his. For a start, his skin was too dense for her to do any real damage, and he tasted awful as well- like cold, rancid haggis. Mr. Wink simply shrugged himself and dislodged her, before throwing her straight at Hellboy's face. Out of reflex, Merida tightened her grip on the nearest object.

"Ginger?" Hellboy croaked.

"Aye?" Merida replied.

"You're stranglin' me," he wheezed. Merida released her grip, then changed herself back into human form.

Before she could fire an arrow, however, a blast of fire hit Mr. Wink from behind. It didn't burn him, but it did distract him, and whilst he was distracted, a blast of ice hit him as he turned to face Toothless.

"No' again, Jack!" Merida snapped as the white-haired Guardian glided between her and the angry Troll.

"I know, you've got it all under control, ginger!" Jack quipped in reply.

"An' stop callin' me ginger!" Merida snarled.

Jack ignored her, instead whistling to Toothless. The Night Fury jumped over and blew another stream of fire at the same time that Jack fired a stream of ice.

The two elemental blasts created a massive cloud of steam, completely obscuring Mr. Wink from view as the Troll tried to thrash through the steam and get at Hellboy.

Minutes later, a frying pan flew through the air and hit him in the face. Now Rapunzel was in on the fight, and she looked dangerously angry.

As soon as the steam cleared, Mr. Wink came out, and he came out mad. He swiped Hellboy's gun from him, so the demon just started to punch him in the stomach. What was really disturbing, however, was that Wink didn't even flinch, as if he wasn't registering pain. After six blows from Hellboy, he laughed unpleasantly.

" _Was that supposed to hurt me?_ " he asked, before following it up with a punch of his own. Hellboy flipped backwards, then rolled over, caught the ground with his feet and screeched to a halt.

The demon grinned cockily at the Troll, then walked forwards to size him up again. Mr. Wink roared a few times, then prepared to attack Hellboy again, but before he could do so, Rapunzel jumped in front of him and blocked his punch with her frying pan.

The Troll's fist withstood the blow.

Rapunzel's pan didn't.

After she registered the loss of her beloved weapon, Rapunzel then angrily clenched her own animal necklace. In a flash of scales, she was a pink-and-purple chameleon, with a yellow crest and a prehensile tongue, which she now fired at Wink's neck.

The Troll now spent at least 10 minutes trying to prize Rapunzel's tongue off his neck. As soon as his hand was free, however, he immediately shoved past the chameleon and punched Hellboy again, sending him flying backwards through a stone arch. The arch smashed as Hellboy's head went through it, but after he fell to the ground, the demon got up with a dangerous grin on his face, and as Wink poised to punch, so did Hellboy.

With a resonating crack, a stone right fist bashed into a metal right fist. And the stone came off the better, with Mr. Wink's metal fist now spraying cogs and nuts. He let out a bellowing whine of enraged pain, just the opportunity Hellboy had been waiting for. He jumped into the air before bringing his fists down in a blow on the Cave-Troll's head. Before Wink could respond, Toothless then rammed into him from behind, flipping him over and enabling Hellboy to climb on top of the Troll's chest and hammer his face repeatedly, spraying spit and teeth. After four blows, Hellboy finally pointed a stern finger at his defeated opponent and said, "Now stay DOWN!"

As soon as the fight was finished, Hellboy got up and started walking away slowly, screwing his face up at the drop of blood slowly streaming from one of his nostrils. Rapunzel winced(even now, she hadn't forgotten how Hellboy's straightforward violent ways reminded her of the Stabbington Brothers). But her squeamishness quickly turned to fear as Mr. Wink got up off the floor and roared at Hellboy. Clearly this Troll was just as hard to get rid of as his demon opponent.

Hellboy stopped, rolling his yellow eyes at the Troll's persistence, and then turned around to face him, removing something small and white from inside his mouth. "There, now I've lost one of my teeth," he said. "Happy?"

And he lobbed the afore-mentioned tooth at Mr. Wink's chest. It bounced off him like a soft pea, but clearly the Troll was angry about something else. He muttered dangerously under his breath, indicated his now badly-damaged fist.

" _You broke my fist!_ " Hiccup heard him snarl in Danish. " _Prince Nuada himself gave me this fist. I will crush your bones for that, Demon!_ "

Hellboy couldn't speak Danish, but he could understand Danish. "Give it up, pal," he replied, casually lifting a marzipan stick(courtesy of Rapunzel) to his mouth. "It's over."

Mr. Wink curled his lips back and drew his fist back in response. " _It is not over, Demon,_ " he hissed. " _I will finish you, and then none can stop my masters from their noble work!_ "

Hiccup saw, at that point, that Hellboy was standing in front of two huge spiked grinders, presumably used for waste disposal. If Mr. Wink fired his metal fist at this range, he might end up getting it caught in the grinders. " _Don't do that, Mr. Wink_ ," he called in Danish. " _Have you seen how close you are to certain death? Put your fist down_."

" _I do not take orders from humans!_ " Wink sneered at Hiccup. " _Least of all weaklings like you, Viking!_ "

"He's right, buddy," Hellboy said, now not trying to taunt the Troll, but to discourage him from doing something careless and fatal. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

But if Vikings have stubbornness issues, Trolls are twice as stubborn. Mr. Wink let out a defiant bellow and fired his fist forwards on a chain, straight towards Hellboy…

But at the last minute, Hellboy moved out of the way, and the metal weapon got caught in between the grinders.

Mr. Wink's roars of anger turned to terrified barks as he tried to pull his hand free, but the grinders turned slowly, pulling him closer towards them. Hellboy reached out and strummed on the chain with his fingers, saying "Wow, told ya."

Hellboy himself was perfectly unconcerned, but Hiccup was now seriously worried. If Mr. Wink got pulled into the grinders, he'd be crushed into pieces like a meat-flavoured Yaknog. No-one deserved such a horrible death, not even a Troll.

But at the last minute, with a loud swishing noise, something flew through the air between the grinders and the Troll, and cut straight through Mr. Wink's chain. That something then flew backwards, straight into the hands of what looked suspiciously like… a rabbit?

Jack rolled his eyes. Yep, a rabbit. And one particular rabbit. A rabbit at least 6 foot 1, four inches shorter than Hellboy, who stood on his back legs and had greyish-blue fur with white markings, a harness across his chest filled with numerous boomerangs, and sharp, cocky(at least in Jack's opinion) green eyes. Even Mr. Wink gaped at him in awe.

"Well, well," the rabbit said in an Australian accent. "Who've we got here? Naughty or nice?"

Mr. Wink shook himself and then snarled at the rabbit, before lunging with one fist at the person who had just saved his life. The rabbit ducked, then got hold of the Troll's now handless arm-stump, stopping Wink from stabbing him with his elbow-dagger.

" _Naughty_ , mate," he quickly jibed, then brought his foot up in a blow to Mr. Wink's jaw, spraying his face with teeth and spit. Before Wink could recover, Hellboy got hold of the Troll's shoulders and flipped him backwards to the ground, knocking him unconscious.

There was a few minutes awkward silence. Then all of a sudden, the huge crowd of Trolls filling the Market broke into enthusiastic applause, like they'd been watching a circus performance. Hellboy turned to shake hands with the rabbit.

"Thanks, buddy," he said. "Who are you, by the way?"

The rabbit chuckled. "Now don't tell me you've forgotten who filled all your eggs with Baby Ruth, mate."

Jack filled in, "Hellboy, this is E. Aster Bunnymund, better known as the Easter Bunny. He's another Guardian."

"Bunnymund?" Hellboy remarked incredulously.

"Call me Bunny," Bunny replied. "Now, how about we move this big drongo outta the Market?"

Hellboy lifted the unconscious Wink onto his shoulders(with some trouble, since he was so heavy), then got up and started walking off slowly. Before he could get too far away, Krauss and the other half of the group met up with him.

"Oh, vot have you done now, Agent Hellboy?" the gas-headed German exclaimed furiously, upon seeing the unconscious Troll.

"What?" Hellboy protested. "I only laid him out. This guy here did most of the action." He indicated Bunny.

"I'm the Easter Bunny," Bunnymund introduced himself to Krauss. "Pleased to meet yer, Krauss mate. Still eating Smarties by the tube?"

Jack frowned. "You can eat things, Dr. Krauss?"

"I vill tell you about zat later, Agent Frost," Krauss replied, still agitated over the Troll Hellboy and Bunny had just beaten up.

"Red, Jack, Rapunzel," Abe interjected, "This is Princess Nuala."

"Lady," Hellboy tipped his head respectfully. Bunnymund did the same.

"Right, let's ge' the big laddie out o' here," Merida interrupted. "Perhaps he can tell us whit Prince Nuada's doin'."

Nuala looked up at her with surprise. "Your voice…" she said, reaching out to lay a hand to Merida's cheek. "Could it be…" A moment's silent mind-scanning, and then Nuala gasped in awe. "Princess Merida? How? I thought you were dead!"

Merida chuckled dryly. "Well, I'm clearly no'," she said, before then pulling Nuala into a hug. "It's good tae see ye again, Nuala."

"Guys, this is touching and everything," Hiccup interrupted, "but could we continue this reunion back at the BPRD where there aren't any psychopathic Trolls trying to eat us?"

Shortly after the BPRD group had left with the Troll, the Bunny and the Elf, a pair of two-headed Imps began talking to one another in their high-pitched, unintelligible squeaking language.

" _Mr. Wink is hurt!_ " one of them squeaked.

Another one ran to a third Imp and squeaked, " _A big red man and a blue rabbit attacked him!_ "

Immediately afterwards, the third Imp ran below ground on a stone staircase, straight to a hidden chamber where Prince Nuada was working on what looked like a golden egg with almost surgically precise tools. Alongside him, Pitch Black was busy feeding raw meat to one of his Nightmares.

The Imp's hurried arrival and nervous pause suggested urgency to the Elven prince.

" _Is there something you need to tell me?_ " Nuada asked the Imp in Gaelic, a language which the little animal could understand but not speak.

" _Up there…_ " The Imp's right head said, indicating the direction with its corresponding arm.

" _No, up there!_ " the left head squeaked back, pointing the opposite way. Each of the Imp's arms slapped both heads to shut up their dispute.

Pitch laughed dryly. "Imps," he smirked. "Always in two minds about everything."

But then the Imp's heads reconciled their differences and both said to Nuada, " _Up there, in the market… someone attacked Mr. Wink_!"

Pitch didn't need his magic powers of emotion sensing to read the expression on Nuada's face as he looked down at the little two-headed animal. Someone was going to get killed.

Back at the surface, the Big Four had left the Troll Market and exited through the meat locker, along the way passing the Fragglewump(who shot a rude hand sign at Toothless as he sauntered by, ignorable on account of the fact that she had very small arms and hands). Rapunzel was the last to leave, since the Cronie Troll barber had been flooding her arms with numerous gifts of a dubious nature(including a new frying pan to replace her battered old one). Outside the shop, Princess Nuala produced her piece of the Royal Crown of Bethmoora.

"To wage his war on mankind and reclaim the natural homeland of our people, my brother Nuada needs this," she said. "With it he can wake the Golden Army, and now he has Pitch Black on his side, he has access to dark magic as well."

"I don't get it," Hiccup asked. "If Pitch is really as evil as they say, then why would he want to defend the environment? The last phrase being used loosely, of course."

"Well, Pitch has a daughter called Emily Jane Pitchiner," Jack replied. "Better known as Mother Nature.(Bunnymund mouthed "She's another of the Guardians, mate," to Hellboy) Pitch could be using this as an excuse to exact what he and Nuada both consider due vengeance on mankind for the way they've polluted and ruined nature and all non-human life."

"In vhich case, your Highness," Krauss interrupted, "Perhaps it vould be better if you give ze Crown piece to us…"

"No," Nuala snapped back at him, sliding the piece back into her pockets. "Where it goes, I go. My father, King Balor died to uphold the pledge of peace he made with your world. You must honour his noble intentions."

"Nuala, yer father isnae dead," Merida said soothingly.

Nuala whirled on her sharply. "How do you know he is not dead, Merida?"

"I saw it, in a dream," Merida replied. "After yer brother took the Crown piece, Balor…somehow brought hi'self back tae life in front o' me. He'd used up the remnants o' his old magic sae he could warn me about Nuada."

Nuala's expression went from incredulous anger to surprised intrigue. "What did he say to you?"

"He told me tae beware. He said tha' if Nuada continued down this dark path, he would bring abou' his own death, an' yours as well, Nuala. He must have though tha' Pitch couldnae be trusted even by Nuada."

"Back to the point, Dr. Krauss," Abe then interrupted, before things could get anymore complicated. "The lady is in dire danger. The same goes for Merida if Nuada should find out about her."

"And he will," Nuala added grimly. "Me and Nuada are connected by a magical link known as the Banna na Anamacha."

"Banana what?" Hellboy remarked incredulously.

"The Bond of Souls," Merida filled in for him.

"It means that we can follow each other's thoughts, and share each other's wounds," Nuala explained further. "Even now, Nuada may know where we all are."

"So like I said," Abe continued, "We need to take her with us, Dr. Krauss."

"I take it you're vouching for her zen, Agent Sapien?" Krauss remarked, sceptically.

"Most emphatically, yes, I am," Abe replied.

"As are we all," Merida added, laying a hand on Nuala's shoulder. Rapunzel did the same on the other side. Jack tried not to think of it as a selfie moment.

"Even so," Krauss continued, "I am sorry, your Highness, but ve cannot simply make such an irresponsible decision."

Hiccup lost his temper at that point. He had initially admired Dr. Krauss for his brains, and his creepy but cool ectoplasmic abilities, but right now, he was being a bureaucratic pain in the backside. So he got up and shouted at Krauss, "She's trying to protect her people and prevent a war! How is that irresponsible!?"

Krauss turned to point sternly at Hiccup. "You may not care, Agent Hiccup, but zere are rules and procedures in ze BPRD vhich must be obeyed at all times…"

"She's comin' with us," Hellboy interrupted, brushing past Hiccup to get in Krauss' face(if the swirling mass of white ectoplasm inside his helmet was indeed his face). "Have you got that, Krauss, you gas bag?"

Krauss' voice was dangerously quiet when he next spoke. "Vot did you call me?"

"YOU!"

A loud, equally angry voice interrupted what could have turned into a fight between a demon and a man made of ectoplasm. The group all turned around just in time to see a tall Elf standing there. He had long white hair which turned orange at the ends, a white face, black clothes with a red sash, and yellow eyes rimmed with black, as well as a long scar running across his nose.

To make things even worse, then Flynn turned up, still wearing his Schuftein spectacles and immediately noticing Mr. Wink on Hellboy's shoulder.

"Ya know, Blondie," he said to Rapunzel, "We really need to work on your capture situations…" then he saw the black-dressed Elf and removed his headset.

"Whoa," he murmured, opening a book which he'd picked up in the BPRD trailer, about the creation of the Golden Army. Eyes darting between the Elf and the book. "Is that… Prince Nuada?"

"Yep," Rapunzel finished awkwardly.

Flynn's eyes glanced back into his book. After a few minutes, he then added, "I don't think this book got his nose right."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 6: Forest God Fracas

"You will pay for what happened to my friend down there," Nuada said heatedly, pointing at the unconscious Mr. Wink over Hellboy's shoulder.

The big demon casually lowered the Cave-Troll to the ground and brushed his coat back to expose his gun. "Yeah, do you take checks?" he asked. "Only, since he's still alive, this really doesn't need to get violent."

"Yes it does," Nuada replied coldly. As he said this, out of the shadows appeared Pitch Black behind him. Merida instinctively tightened her grip on her bow and pointed it at the Elf's face.

"Stay back, Nuada," Merida warned. "If ye want tae hurt my friend, ye'll have tae get past me first!"

Nuada laughed scornfully. "He is a demon, foolish girl. Born in a womb of shadows and sent to enslave your kind to evil. And you still believe he belongs? You still call him your friend?"

Four years ago, Merida might not have called Hellboy her friend(after all, back then, he had been patronizing, irritating with his nickname of "ginger", and frankly terrifying once he briefly fell under Rasputin's influence) but she had also seen Hellboy's noble actions and willingness to sacrifice himself for those he cared about. So this determined her next reply.

"Aye, I still call him my friend," Merida and Nuada were practically glaring each other down now.

"And so do we!" Rapunzel added, as she and the rest of the Big Four formed a shield around Hellboy.

Pitch Black was the next to speak. "You see, your Highness?" he softly called to Nuada. "The humans call him a friend, when he has nearly killed one of your own friends. He will clearly oppose our plans!"

Nuada nodded, then reached into his pocket, pulling out something that looked like a golden egg. Its surface was coated in stylized Celtic swirl patterns, and a little knob like a crownpiece decorated its tip. But what really interested Jack was the small hinge lines he could make out around the top half of the egg, as though it were something mechanical which unfolded.

"No, brother, no!" Nuala desperately cried, and even Bunny cried out "OH, at the sight of the golden egg. The top of the egg slowly unhinged and opened like flower petals, exposing a small green thing from within- by the look of it, a bean of some kind, with the colour and texture of a marble. Nuada removed the bean, then held it up to his mouth.

"Kill them," he said dangerously to the bean, as though he was speaking into a communicator, and then threw it towards them in the manner of a terrorist throwing a grenade over a wall. Jack instinctively ducked, expecting the bean to explode, but instead it fell to the ground and then bounced a few feet upwards, as if it had a mind of its own.

Then Jack watched as the bean started to bounce away from them, as if it was trying to escape a fight.

Hellboy didn't think that it was that serious. "It's just a jumping bean. Come on."

"THAT'S NOT A JUMPING BEAN, YA DRONGO!" Bunny shrieked at him. "SOMEONE STOP IT! NOW!"

"It's heading for water. Hurry," Nuala frantically implored. Jack quickly ran after the bean, freezing the water leading towards a sewer drain, but the bean kept one step ahead of him until it finally fell straight through two metal bars, into the water, and sunk out of sight.

"Ah, strewth," Bunny cursed, placing his hand over his brow.

Minutes later, the ground started to shake violently beneath everyone's feet. The street traffic came to an abrupt halt, steam rose from the sewer drain where the bean had fallen into water, and neon signposts sparked and flickered, as though suffering a power cut. Manning and Liz emerged from the BPRD truck upon feeling the vibrations, whilst Astrid and Stormfly descended onto the trailer's rooftop, looking around in alarm. Jack turned around to glare at Nuada and Pitch, but they were both gone.

As the vibrations slowed, a now more concerned Hellboy turned to the Easter Bunny. "Hey, Bunny? Why is that bean so dangerous anyway?"

Bunny didn't get the chance to reply, as the road behind them exploded upwards in a shower of tarmac, water and soil which threw parked cars(empty, luckily) on top of one another, smashing windscreens and crushing metal. From beneath the massive spray of dirt, something huge and green emerged. It was at least 14 feet tall, with curving limbs like a squid leading from beneath. Its skin was creased and calloused, like the bark of a tree, and coated with foliage around the shoulders. Two long branches served it for arms, bending and swaying in the breeze, ending in two curved claws, whilst above the neck, four large green leaves hung open around a luminescent yellow closed flower. These leaves then folded together to form the shape of a conical head, with narrow yellow eyes, and a bottom jaw which jutted outwards as though stuck in a constant pout. The massive creature glared at Hellboy and his friends, before letting out a bellowing scream like a whale, spit spraying from its jaws, which opened outwards to expose a jagged-edged mouth.

"What in the name of Snoggletog is that thing?" Hiccup gasped, his own green eyes never straying from the monsters'.

"It's an Elemental," Nuala replied, complete fear in her yellow eyes. "A giver of life…and a destroyer."

"What?" Hellboy asked, just to clarify.

"A Forest God," Bunny and Nuala both said at the same time.

Hellboy turned towards the Forest God again. "A Forest God, hmm? I'm gonna get me Big Baby."

And Hellboy ran off towards his gun cabinet. Jack and Bunny both turned to face the Forest God, one armed with a staff, the other with a really sharp boomerang.

"How come you know that thing's a Forest God, Bunny?" Jack asked.

"There's plenty of these fellas down under, Frostbite," Bunny replied grimly. "Ta be fair, Forest _God's_ a bit of an unfair title. Forest _Monster's_ more like it. They live in the rainforests, and they kill anyone who cuts down a tree without their permission. These things are even more horrific than Nightmares."

"Shame," Jack replied. _Cos I really wanna see something that's less horrific than a Nightmare._

The rest of the Big Four prepared for a fight. Hiccup activated Inferno, Astrid got off Stormfly and drew her beloved axe, Merida loaded her bow, and Rapunzel clenched her transforming necklace.

Hellboy quickly returned to the group now armed with the Big Baby, a large gun with six barrels which could fire multiple rounds. But then they heard a desperate screaming from behind them. A young brown-haired woman was hammering on the doors of her car. Hiccup and Toothless quickly ran over to her.

"What is it, ma'am?" Hicccup asked her.

"My baby's in there!" the woman cried hysterically, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Please help!"

It was then that the woman noticed Hiccup's outlandish clothing, and the Night Fury at his left flank.

Just then, Krauss and Abe came up from behind the woman, putting reassuring hands on her shoulders. "It's all right, dear lady. Come viz us," Krauss said sympathetically "Zere's nothing to vorry about."

Even more frightened at being escorted by a man made of gas and a walking fish, the woman nevertheless agreed to leave the car. Hellboy joined Hiccup, and then got hold of one door and ripped it off its hinges, exposing a small crying baby in a periwinkle blue wrap.

"Hey little guy," Hellboy said very softly, reaching in to stroke the baby's head. Toothless stuck his head in the car in addition, managing a gummy smile for the baby. It giggled softly, and then Hellboy took hold of the baby in both his arms before coming out of the car again.

No sooner had he done so, than the Forest God wound one of its arms around the car like an octopus, and started to tighten its grip with a sickening metal crunch, crushing the car in the middle. Flying nearby, an NYPD helicopter started firing bullets at it, but the massive Elemental just turned and threw the car at it. Both vehicles fell from the sky and exploded into fire.

The fight immediately began. Jack shot into the air and began flying around the Forest God, spraying ice from his staff and trying to distract it. With a bellow, it tried to swipe him out of the air, only for Merida to then fire an arrow into its wrist. But the Forest God just paused, looked at the arrow, and then pulled it back out, snapped off the metal head, and then pressed the body against its wound, crushing it into a fresh plaster made of wood.

"Well, that didnae work," Merida cursed, before the Forest God slammed its arm into the ground in front of her. She flew backwards a few feet, only to feel a pair of soft arms cushioning her. On close inspection, they were Nuala's.

Bunny and Flynn quickly ran at the monster's feet, climbing up its legs in a manner reminiscent of Jack and the Beanstalk. The former bandit started hacking away at the foliage that covered the beast's back, but it was so dense, it was like trying to saw through stone. Bunny tried a more useful approach by sticking his sharpened boomerangs into the Forest God's arm and scraping them backwards, spilling green sticky blood onto the pavement. Hiccup, as he climbed onto Toothless' back, could have sworn that the small pool of blood suddenly changed into a small patch of grass and flowers.

The Forest God then swung backwards, slamming into Flynn and winding him against its own body. " _How dare you climb on_ _me, little human!_ " it bellowed, in a voice with the faint undertones of a groaning, creaking tree. This surprised Hiccup, as he hadn't thought that the Forest God could speak at all.

The Forest God then tried to swat Flynn again, only for something gold to wind around Flynn's waist and pull him off the giant's body. Rapunzel began chanting her healing song as she pressed her hair against her husband's wounds.

"Are you alright, Eugene?" she asked.

"I think he broke my smoulder," Flynn groaned painfully.

Jack was the next to be swatted by the Forest God. As he flew backwards, he slammed into something moving and green- not, fortunately for him, the Forest God, but Toothiana. Fairy and spirit flew backwards until they fell to the ground, Tooth on top of Jack.

"This is awkward," Jack murmured, struggling to get to his feet.

"You don't say," Bunny cheekily interrupted, having got off the Forest God just in time to see the pile-up. "Didn't think you had it in ya, Frostbite."

Tooth abruptly got up and protested, "I swear, Bunny, this isn't what it looks like!"

"Riiiiiiiiiight," Bunny replied, a taunting grin on his face. "No worries, Jack, I won't tell North if you don't."(You like this, Rainbow Snowcone shippers?)

Meanwhile, as the fight continued, Dr. Krauss shouted over to the two people who still hadn't attacked the Forest God yet.

"Agent Hellboy!" he called. "Get to higher ground and shoot ze veapon! SHOOT ZE VEAPON! Agent Hiccup, Toosless, go viz him!"

Hellboy straightaway started running, not once letting go of his babies(the crying one and the gun one), whilst Toothless unfolded his tailfins and flew straight ahead. The Forest God rampaged after them, moving on tiptoe like a tap-dancing octopus. Gradually, the street became so packed with cars that Hellboy started jumping on top of the cars and running along the rooftops. Hiccup, due to being on a winged dragon, did not have similar trouble.

" _Don't run from me, little demon!_ " the Forest God snarled, before thumping one of Hellboy's cars with a blow that catapulted him into the air. Drawing his gun, Hellboy shot through an electric cable, then grabbed it with his right hand and swung forwards, until he landed on a large neon hotel signpost(which literally said "HOTEL"). He gripped onto the letter L.

Hellboy quickly passed the baby down into the grip of his prehensile tail. "First praise the tail, kid," he said encouragingly, before he began the long ascent up to the rooftop, where Hiccup and Toothless were already waiting.

He managed to climb all the way to the top letter H, just as the Forest God broke off the letter L beneath his feet.

"Hey, Red," Hiccup called cheerfully.

"Hey, Hiccup," Hellboy called back.

Dr. Krauss called up to them, "Hellboy, Toosless, you must shoot it in ze energy ganglion!"

"WHAT?" Hellboy and Hiccup both shouted back down at him.

"Ze energy ganglion!" Krauss shouted. Upon realising that neither of them had a clue what he was talking about, he swore under his breath in German, and then screamed exasperatedly, "ZE HEAD! SHOOT IT IN ZE HEAD!" whilst indicating his own head with his fingers.

"Oh, shoot it in the head," Hiccup calmly said. "Right!"

The Forest God swung at them again with one arm. Hellboy jumped straight upwards, then dropped back onto the letter H, with such force that the metal attachment started to come undone beneath him.

"Oh poo," Hellboy cursed. Toothless had just jumped backwards to get out of range of the whipping arm.

" _You cannot win!_ " came the deafening roar. " _I will take you all down, for you are my master's enemies!_ "

Just then, Hiccup made out a blue and yellow shape fly straight towards the Forest God. With a screech, Stormfly dropped onto one of its shoulders, jabbing it with her tail spikes and gnawing with her teeth. At the same time, Astrid jumped off, swinging her axe in neat arcs and shaving slivers of foliage from the Forest God's back. Distracted with pain, the Forest God swung violently at demon and Viking again, but missed them by several inches.

Hellboy then passed the baby back into his arms again, saying to it, "You gotta trust me, little guy. Okay?" The baby nodded, and then Hellboy threw him straight into the air. After giggling, the little baby dropped back towards the benevolent demon, who quickly loaded the Big Baby, and then extended out his right hand to catch the baby. As soon as he had done so, he glared right into the eyes of the Forest God. Toothless growled menacingly, and the inside of his mouth began to glow purple.

"You woke up the baby," Hellboy then said, in a low voice, before pointing his gun straight at the Forest God and firing it. At the same time, Toothless released a fire blast from his mouth, and both bullet and blast hit the monster in the shoulder. With a scream of pain, the Forest God fell backwards, sticky green blood spraying onto the building in front of it, and slowly spreading and turning to foliage as soon as it did, with little white flowers growing in the grass.

All this beauty was lost on the two agents, however, as the Forest God fell backwards and slammed into a series of metal balconies, which became stuck in its bark-like flesh. Blood dripped from the shoulder where bullet and fire had torn its skin, but the Forest God was not yet dead.

It was already starting to get back up again, leaning forwards to snarl at the two creatures who had dared to wound it. Dr. Krauss was well aware of this, and he shouted to them, "Agent Hellboy, Agent Hiccup! Take ze shot, right now! Take it! Zat's an order, Agent Hellboy, and you too, Agent Hiccup! Shoot it! Shoot it now!"

Hellboy drew his gun and Toothless prepared to breathe fire again, but before either of them could shoot, a strident voice called out from above them.

"Demon! Dragon!" it cried. Hiccup and Hellboy slowly looked up to see Prince Nuada sat above them, looking down with his dark yellow eyes. Beside him sat Pitch Black, his expression mocking and deadly.

"What are you waiting for?" the Bogeyman continued, pointing at the Forest God with his spear. "This is what you want, isn't it? To get rid of one more monster?"

"Look at it," Nuada continued, also indicating the Forest God, which limped forwards towards them again. "One of the last of its kind, like you and I. You kill it, and the world may never see its' like again."

And then Hiccup looked at the Forest God, and saw the pain in the creature's expression. And he remembered how determined his own Viking tribe had once been to kill all the dragons in Berk. Did he or Hellboy or even Toothless have the right to simply kill an entire species of mythological creature? Even if it had attempted to kill them?

Apparently sensing their indecision, Nuada continued, most likely addressing Hellboy and Toothless, "You have more in common with us than with them. Is it right to fight for those who consider you monsters as well?"

"It's breaking loose!" Krauss shouted from the ground, as the Forest God, regaining its strength, leaned forwards and tore off a good section of the metal balconies embedded in its flesh.

But Pitch persisted, "If you side with us, you could both be kings! But if you cannot learn to command…"

"SHOOT IT NOW! SHOOT IT, AGENT HELLBOY!" Krauss screamed desperately.

"Then you must learn to obey," Pitch finished darkly(well, how else?).

Now the Forest God was charging towards them, clearly keen to finish the fight. Hellboy swore and prepared to shoot, but before he could do so, a female voice screamed "STOP!"

The Forest God turned around just in time to see a large green chameleon climb up onto its left shoulder. The chameleon stood up on two legs and turned from green to purple, its tail shrinking and flattening, its toes fusing together into normal human feet, its scales melting into skin, and long golden hair growing out of its head, until it had resumed its real form: Rapunzel.

And she was far from happy.

"Look around you, Forest God!" she cried. "Look what you're doing to these people! Do you really want to be responsible for so much chaos and terror!"

" _Mankind have ruined nature!_ " the huge Elemental creature growled, though in a softer voice, so as not to damage Rapunzel's ears. " _I must stop nature from being damaged any further! This is what I want!_ "

"No, this is what Nuada wants," Rapunzel replied. "You don't have to obey him just because he created you! If you try to defend nature in this way, you'll only make more enemies, and then mankind will be forced to kill you! Don't you see? If you want to defend nature, do it in a more peaceful way! Haven't you ever had a dream?"

The Forest God lowered its arms, and Hiccup could tell it was taking her words to heart.

" _I….am sorry…._ " It finished, its voice a low rumble. " _Do not fear me, little humans….I will leave your city now, and not return…_ "

With this, the Forest God turned towards the ground, and started digging in the soil exposed by the broken tarmac with its front legs, kicking up a brown spray. As it dug deeper, it finally slid underground head-first, folding its vine-like limbs together like an octopus as it dropped back underneath the pavement, into the tunnel, and out of sight. Rapunzel jumped off its shoulder before it dived underground.

As soon as it had disappeared, flowers and foliage started to grow from the ground where the Forest God had first rushed to the surface. As though it had created something good from something bad.

However, the mood on the ground when the heroes descended was far from pleasant. Huge crowds of reporters and onlookers were gathered, some of them shouting abuse at Hellboy.

One exception, however, was the young mother whose baby they had just saved. As soon as Toothless had descended back to the ground, she rushed over to press her arms around the big adorable dragon's neck.

"Oh, thank you!" she gushed, stroking Toothless' head. "Thank you so much!" She then hugged Hiccup as he got off Toothless' back.

"You're welcome, ma'am," Hiccup replied, just as Hellboy joined the group to pass the baby.

"And thank you as well," she added, patting Hellboy's arm as she cradled her precious baby to her heart. The big demon smiled back, then the woman went back to stroking Toothless as well. "Who's a good boy?" she cooed softly, stroking him under the chin.

"Careful, ma'am," Hellboy warned her. "You stroke a certain spot under Toothless' chin, and he's likely to…"

Toothless abruptly fell forwards, but Hiccup quickly got under him and held him away from the woman, whom he would otherwise have fallen on.

"Do that," Hellboy awkwardly finished.

However, the mood was quickly soured as the angry crowd were starting to fire accusations at Hellboy and the Big Four.

"You put that baby in harm's way, you stupid freak!" one man shouted.

"What's wrong with you people?" Jack Frost shouted back at them- normally they wouldn't have been able to see or hear him, but since they all believed in Hellboy and the Forest God they'd just defeated, they flinched to hear him speak now. "That baby was never in any danger! Hellboy and Toothless are the good guys, alright?"

"The big red one has a weapon in his hand!" a policeman accused them.

"That _is_ his hand!" Liz snapped back, now walking over to stand in front of Hellboy and Toothless. Merida, Rapunzel and Astrid all joined her, forming a protective fence with their bodies.

"Ladies, stay away from them for your own safety!" the policeman said, but Liz was refusing to listen to him.

"Don't you idiots understand?" she shouted. "They were just trying to help you! That's all we do! That's all we've done all these years, trying to defeat evil, to help _you_! YOU!"

"We don't need your help, you stupid freak!" shouted one of the boozers who had thrown a beer can at Hellboy earlier, now throwing something sharper- a rock, which clipped Hellboy's cheek and opened a cut in it.

This was enough for Liz. Glaring fiercely at the perpetrator, her whole body caught fire as she turned to face him. Stormfly let out a furious screech and started beating her wings violently, but Hiccup quickly brushed past the rapidly-enraged BPRD members and stood in front of everyone, hands held out in a calming way.

"EVERYONE STOP!" he shouted, and it was as if he had fired a pistol into the air. The whole crowd fell quiet, looking up at him, and even the stone-thrower lowered his hands.

"I am Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!" he shouted. A few minutes' silence, as if to allow laughs. "A great name, I know. But it's not the worst. Viking parents believe that really ugly names scare off evil monsters. You see, I'm a Viking. I come from a time far back into the past, where people like me live alongside dragons. And back then, we used to fear and hate dragons. Killing one was a way of being accepted into society, and since I was a village outcast, I desperately wanted to fit in. But then I found out that the dragons weren't evil- they were being forced to rob from us to feed a corrupt, greedy queen dragon. So me and my friends rode dragons for the first time and we took that thing down! But at a cost to myself." Here he indicated his wooden leg.

The crowd were quiet now, as if Hiccup was a lion-tamer and they were his lions.

"And then, somehow, me, my girlfriend and both our dragons fell through a time portal, and we came out here. And we came to stay at the BPRD. Then I met Hellboy. And I'll be honest with you, I didn't like him that much at first. I thought he was big, fierce and intimidating. But then, I learned about his job, what he does for the good of mankind, and then I liked him. Because, like you, I needed to look beyond the big, scary demon and see the noble, heroic man within. My friends aren't monsters, people. They're kind, beautiful creatures, who can help bring people together!"

He pointed to the assembled crowd behind him; Tooth fluttering graciously in mid-air, her legs tucked beneath her; Bunny, striking a heroic pose with his chest out and his head up; to Hellboy himself, with a more crowd-pleasing smile; and finally, to Toothless and Stormfly, nuzzling heads and smiling to the woman in the crowd, who encouraged her baby to wave back at the dragons.

Now the crowd no longer looked angry. In fact, they looked ashamed for having attacked Hellboy thanks to Hiccup's appealing skills. They lowered their heads, murmuring apologies, and then slowly dispersed, leaving the BPRD group and the Big Four stood before the ruined pavement where the Forest God had emerged. Then low footprints caught Hiccup's attention, and he turned to see Hellboy and Liz approaching him.

Then what they did next took him by surprise.

Hellboy pulled Hiccup into a shoulder hug, a few tears of fierce pride glittering in his yellow eyes. Hiccup chuckled and patted the big demon on the back. After Hellboy got up again, Liz threw her arms around Hiccup in turn. The young Viking accepted the hug, his own eyes misting up as he looked over his shoulder to his friends.

"Hiccup, I'm so proud that you're my friend," Hellboy said hoarsely, wiping one of his eyes with his left hand.

After Liz stopped hugging Hiccup, the rest of the Big Four joined in. Dr. Krauss did not hug him, instead he gave him a thumbs up. Bunny, Flynn and Tooth grinned and winked at him, and last of all Astrid and the dragons came over. Astrid pulled her boyfriend into a passionate kiss.

"And _I'm_ so proud that you're my _boyfriend_ ," she whispered into the kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 7: Can't smile without you

Despite the evening cheer due to Hiccup's oratory defence of Hellboy, the mood taken on by the Big Four, the two Guardians, and the rest of the BPRD was a subdued one as they returned to headquarters yet again. After years of Manning desperately trying to hide the existence of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence from the public eye, Hellboy had finally exposed them; and the worst part of it was, the public hated and feared them now.

Manning was determinedly not talking to Hellboy all the way back in the garbage truck. He had re-confiscated a box of Cuban cigars which he had originally confiscated just to convince Hellboy not to do anything too conspicuous. He had even littered the inside of the van with photos of Hellboy in different parts of New York, even one which he posed for, almost as a guilt-trip. In addition to this, he had placed a photo of his head with bullet-holes in it(Hellboy had been using it for target practice) next to the window as a warning. Every now and then, loud sucking noises could be heard from the front of the truck(clearly Manning was busy trying to eat his antacid lolly and relax his nerves).

The rest of the group were busy trying to entertain themselves during the wait. Hiccup and Astrid were busy rummaging through the fish they'd bought from the Troll Market salesman(fortunately, he didn't have any eels). Jack idly conjured a snowball and starting ricocheting it around the truck, whilst Bunny tried to intercept it with a boomerang. Merida and Rapunzel were seated alongside Abe and Nuala, engaging in friendly conversation, whilst Flynn and Tooth were looking over the safely-tranquillized Mr. Wink. Flynn eyed up the Cave-Troll's huge muscles and fierce tusks, almost in frightened awe, whilst Tooth looked inside his mouth at his dirty yellow teeth(stifling a gag as she did so). Maximus crunched through a basket full of juicy green apples whilst Stormfly allowed Pascal to run around over her head, eagerly changing colour to fit in with her scales.

It came as a welcome relief to the group when they finally reached the BPRD and could exit the van. Manning finally came out of his stern air of disapproval and formally welcomed the two newcomers(Bunny and Nuala) to the building.

"And over here," he said, showing them through the relics archive, "is where we keep anything that was obtained during and after the Second World War." He indicated the yellow and black spearhead(the Spear of Longinus, as the Big Four had learned four years earlier, during their own first visit).

"Very smart, mate," Bunny remarked, as his gaze was drawn to a selection of five rounded, smooth-polished orange stones. "What are _these_ things?"

"Oh, those?" Manning laughed and pointed at the stones. "These are our crown jewels, the five Sankara Stones. Said to be given to a wise man by an Indian god, they hold the key to fortune and glory. Or, in other words, agricultural fertility. The village they used to belong to never went hungry for as long as they had the stones."

"And the Nazis tried to steal them?" Bunny guessed.

Jack sniggered at this point. "No, Bunny, not the Nazis, the Thuggees. Have you never watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom?"

Bunny rolled his green eyes. "Nazis, Thuggees- they're both crazy, selfish humans. What's the difference?"

"A great deal of difference, rabbit-boy," Flynn then darkly murmured. It was then that Jack remembered how Flynn, too, had been deeply affected by the Nazis back in Russia; he was appalled at the fact that fellow Germans could resort to such levels of cruelty.

Rapunzel nodded, a faint tear rolling from her eye at this point. Fortunately, Manning quickly interrupted by pointing out the next room they'd entered; the monster enclosure.

"And this is where we keep anything…dangerous," Manning finished uncomfortably, indicating the occupants of two solid metal paddocks.

One of the occupants was a massive burly monster with greyish purple skin coated in hard bumps. It had four eyes with silver irises and two fleshy flaps on both sides of its mouth, as well as a pair of tendrils over its shoulders like hair. It was currently smashing its knuckles against the walls and bellowing. The other occupant was something huge and orange with many jointed legs and thrashing tendrils, a big screeching invertebrate.

"Bunyip, eh?" Bunny chuckled, admiring the burly monster. "Nice. Been quite some time since I've seen of these."

"Where have you seen them, Bunny?" Jack asked.

"Down under, where else?" Bunny breezed over. "I feel sorry for the big lad here(he pointed to Mr. Wink) if he's got to spend the night with that monstrosity."

"Oh, we're not putting the troll in there," Manning replied. "First he needs to shrug off the tranquilizers, so until then, we'll put him in the research chamber. If he's still attacking us afterwards, _then_ we'll put him in the paddock."

"Right, now that we know where everything is, can we go our separate ways please, Manning?" Liz asked, pointing out the bleeding cut on her boyfriend's cheek.

"Right, sure thing," Manning agreed. "And if, your Highness(he turned to Nuala), you should need anything at any point, please don't hesitate to ask."

Nuala nodded, then she walked off in the direction of the library. Abe followed her, along with Merida. Meanwhile, Rapunzel and Flynn walked off to Hellboy's room along with Liz.

The big solid metal doors were still somewhat askew from when Hellboy and Liz had had a dispute and Liz released enough firepower to blow the doors off their hinges and send Hellboy backwards through the corridor. The dispute had been over Hellboy cluttering the whole room with his music equipment everywhere; even the same 8-pack, to which Hellboy had protested, "It's Al Green! You can't listen to Al Green on a CD! Eight-track was fashionable, anyway." He'd even left Liz' toothbrush in the cat food, much to Jack's amusement and Liz' disgust(she had pinched the Guardian's ears thoroughly afterwards for laughing at her expense).

Back inside the room, Hellboy sat on the foot of his bed, coated with straw and cats to make him feel more at home. He took off his shirt to help him relax more, whilst his numerous TVs were on at the same time. One of them was broadcasting a report on the BPRD and its "promotion of inter-species marriage"; another one was showing the film _The Bride of Frankenstein_.

Liz stood up on a block to dab at her boyfriend's cheek with a wet wipe.

"Ow!" Hellboy said instinctively.

Liz glared at him. "I didn't touch you yet."

Hellboy relaxed again, but when Liz leaned forward to touch him, he winced again. Liz' sharp look prompted him to stop. After the blood had been wiped away, Rapunzel then pressed her hair against Hellboy's cheek and healed the wound.

"You did a good job out there, big guy," Eugene said to Hellboy, patting him on the left shoulder.

Hellboy looked back at him in a low way. "Then tell me," he asked, "Why don't I feel so good?"

All three people looked at him confusedly.

"I mean," Hellboy continued, "If it hadn't been for you, Rapunzel, I might have killed that Forest God? And for what? The public don't even like me. I mean, they're afraid of me. What can we do with that?"

Rapunzel shook her head sadly. "However hard you try, Hellboy, some people's minds can't be changed. I imagine quite a few people would be scared of me if they knew what my hair can do. They fear anything they don't understand."

"A bit like that guy over there," Eugene agreed, pointing into the TV towards Frankenstein's Monster.

Liz then gently stepped down from her box and spoke to the friendly demon. "I don't want you to freak out, Red," she said gently. "But I'm gonna…leave for a little bit."

Rapunzel looked at her in shock. "Liz, you're not leaving the Bureau again, are you? The last time you said something like that, it lead to a psychiatric centre being burnt down."

Hellboy winced. He hated to be reminded of how, after his failure to convince Liz to return to the BPRD, Rasputin manipulated her into losing control of her pyrokinesis and setting fire to her erstwhile home.

Liz shook her head. "I'm not leaving the BPRD, Rapunzel. I'm just…moving out of this room. I need time alone. Time to think."

"About what?" Hellboy softly protested. "Can't you do your thinking here? Look, I'll be really quiet. I'll even get rid of the cats."

It was a sheer sign of desperation from Hellboy now. He had once sworn that he would gladly give up his own life to save Liz'. She meant everything to him, and the rest of the Big Four were well aware of it.

Liz looked up at her boyfriend very seriously. "Red, why are you with me?" she asked.

She climbed on top of the box again so she was now looking down to him. "Do you need everyone in the world to like you? Hmm? Everyone? Or are we enough?" She gestured to the royal couple of Corona as representative of the whole Four. "Just think about it."

And with a gentle kiss to his head, Liz walked out of Hellboy's room. The demon lowered his head sadly, and Rapunzel and Eugene placed comforting hands on his shoulders as he shed tears softly.

Meanwhile, back in the library, Abe Sapien had taken off his breathing apparatus suit to relax whilst he and Merida walked along the upper floors, examining the map Nuala had bought from the Troll Market merchant.

"What a curious device," Abe murmured as he examined the blank sheet of cloth. "It's got absolutely no coordinates on it of any kind."

"That's nae help to us, then," Merida grumbled. "We cannae find th' Golden Army if we dinnae know where it is."

"Be patient, Merida," Abe replied. "The map may contain some hidden clue to the Army's resting place. Elves are very subtle people."

Merida quietly accepted this, before she then heard a voice from downstairs, reciting poetry.

" _Be near me when my light is low,_

 _when the blood creeps, and the nerves prick_

 _and tingle: and the heart is sick_

 _and all the wheels of Being slow._ "

It was Nuala, of course. As she read, Abe produced contact lenses and slipped them onto his large blue eyes. Merida chuckled; ever since they had returned to the BPRD, Abe seemed utterly besotted with the Elven princess. She was happy for both her friends. They deserved each other.

Nuala continued,

" _Be near me when the sensuous frame_

 _Is rack'd with pangs that conquer trust,_

 _And time, a maniac…_ "

"Tennyson, ' _In Memoriam_ '," Abe interrupted. "A beautiful poem."

He then looked apologetically down at Nuala. "Forgive me, your highness. I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, no, I borrowed this book," Nuala replied. "I hope you won't mind."

"O' course we don't," Merida replied. "This is yer home now, Nuala. Ye're safe here."

Nuala shook her head. "My brother will find me, Merida. He always does."

"How could he?" Hiccup asked, as he entered the library in his normal clothes. Toothless was walking behind him, grinning gummily at Nuala.

Hiccup continued, "I mean, from what Abe's told me, the BPRD's location is a highly-guarded secret."

Nuala turned to him and responded, "Yes, but I know it now, Master Hiccup, which means that he does too, thanks to the Banna na Anamacha."

"Oh, yeah, the Bond of Souls," Hiccup nodded. "Your Highness, how long have you and Nuada shared that bond, again?"

"For all my life," Nuala replied. "Even as children, that link has bound us, one to the other. It's something I cannot explain."

"There's no need to explain," Hiccup replied, before then calling Toothless over. "I don't believe you were ever properly introduced. Princess Nuala, this is my dragon, Toothless."

"How do you do?" Nuala shook the dragon's front paw. He growled softly in response, then starting licking her hand repeatedly, bathing it in spit.

"Stop that, man," Hiccup said, pinching Toothless' ear gently. "You know that doesn't wash out."

Toothless made a loud warbling noise that was clearly the dragon equivalent of laughter.

Nuala laughed. "Please, don't worry about it." She then produced a napkin and started wiping the spit off with great ease. "I'm sorry about attacking you earlier, Master Hiccup, but my people did not have the best relationships with Vikings. The last time we met, centuries ago, they killed countless elves and dragons."

"Yeah, I know what that's like," Hiccup agreed. "But before I came here, my people back on Berk had managed to make peace with the dragons, mainly thanks to me." He then pointed to his prosthetic foot. "I lost one of my legs in the process, but who cares? At least him and me are even now."

Nuala stroked Toothless behind one ear. "I'm glad to hear of it." Next, Abe came down the staircase and Nuala spoke to him. "You look different, Master Sapien."

Abe frowned. "Is it my hair?"

Merida sniggered. Abe didn't have any hair to begin with. Scales, perhaps, but not hair.

"No, it's your eyes," Nuala replied. "I can see your eyes."

Abe chuckled. "I know. I'm just trying a new look. All thanks to the wonders of contact lenses."

Merida then slid down the staircase on her backside. "We were just lookin' at yer map, Nuala," she explained. "It doesnae have any co-ordinates at all."

"Perhaps there's a watermark?" Hiccup suggested.

Nuala smiled, though her attention was mainly on Abe. "You were very brave, vouching for me. How do you know I'm not the enemy, wanting you to lead me here?"

Abe replied, "I just know it from what you're saying, just now. Call it intuition- or maybe a link? Normally I'm able to read people like this quite quickly, but…I've never met anyone quite like you."

Merida and Nuala smiled at Abe's heartfelt compliment.

"Nor I like you," Nuala returned one of her own. She slowly began to walk off, and Merida followed her.

"Good night, Abraham," Nuala called back to him, and for once the psychic piscine humanoid seemed at a loss for words.

"Good night, princess-your Highness- your Majesty, your-Ma'am," he finished awkwardly. Hiccup laughed softly and patted his friend on the back, whilst Merida and Nuala continued walking off.

"Ma'am?" Hiccup murmured incredulously as soon as the girls were out of earshot.

"Ye like Abe, don't ye?" Merida whispered to Nuala as soon as they couldn't hear the boys any longer.

"What are you talking about?" the Elf asked.

Merida laughed. "Ye needn't hide it from me, Nuala. I'm yer friend. I'm bound tae ken ye fancy him."

Nuala laughed also. "Alright, I…I do fancy him a bit."

Merida grinned warmly and pulled her fellow princess into a friendly hug. "Just wait until we tell everyone else!"

Elsewhere, Hellboy was busy relaxing after a shower. He had put his trousers and shoes back on, and was busy putting his towel back in the locker room. Alongside him was Bunny, looking very nonchalant and daring with a towel wrapped around his shoulders. Bunny wasn't wearing any clothes, since being a furry animal, he didn't need them. Hellboy had been spending time with the Guardian to try and form a friendship with him.

Bunny cheerfully towelled his head, singing "Waltzing Matilda" to himself. Hellboy reached into his locker to produce an eight-pack of beer cans. And then the last person that he wanted to speak to just then came in to open his own locker. It was Dr. Krauss.

" _Gute nacht,_ Agent Hellboy," the ectoplasmic German said. Ignoring the dirty look Hellboy shot him, he then turned to Bunny and added, "Yes, I'm still eating Smarties, _Herr_ Bunnymund."

Then he produced a tube of Smarties from inside his own locker and cracked it open. Then a small circular valve opened beneath his chin, and he tipped his helmet back to drop one Smartie down the valve, almost as if swallowing it. Sure enough, Hellboy then heard the sound of crunching from inside Johann's helmet a few minutes later. In spite of his foul temper towards the man, Hellboy was feeling curious.

"Hey, Dr. Krauss?" he asked. "How is it that, although you're made completely of ectoplasm, you can still eat food?"

"A good qvestion, Agent Hellboy," Krauss replied cheerily. "Ze answer is I can still hold a physical form. As such, I can still use my tees and my throat. But in order to get ze food _into_ my mouth vizzout releasing any ectoplasm, I open vone end of ze little valve zere(he pointed to the valve), and let ze food slide down zat. Ven it reaches ze other end, I close ze front end, open ze back end, and zere you are!"

He ate a few more Smarties in this manner.

"But then what do you do if you need to use the toilet?" Hellboy asked.

Krauss stopped abruptly. "Please trust me ven I say zat you don't vant to know ze answer to zat, Agent Hellboy," was all he said.

There was a moment's awkward silence as Hellboy returned to cracking open one of his beer cans. Jack then floated into the locker room and took a seat next to Bunny to shake some soil from the Forest God fight out of his hoody.

Krauss nodded upon seeing the winter spirit. "Ah, zere you are, Agent Frost!" he said.

"Call me Jack, please," Jack replied, whilst quietly sprinkling ice on Bunny's shoulder. Bunny abruptly thwacked him across the head upon noticing his behaviour.

Krauss then continued, "Look, Agents, I know zat you both don't like me, but I could take avay your badges."

"Good luck taking away Frostbite's badge," Bunny laughed. "He's the spirit of all naughtiness, ain't ya?"

Jack nodded and accepted a hair-ruffle from Bunny.

"And for the record, I don't have a badge," Hellboy added. "I kept asking, though."

"I did as well," Jack encouraged his friend.

Krauss was not finished yet, though. "Over ze folloving series of days, you vill learn to obey me, follow protocol and stay fock-yoosed at all times!"

Jack got up in surprise at that moment. "Did you just swear, Dr. Krauss?" he asked incredulously. "That's hardly following protocol."

"He's not swearing, ya daft show-pony," Bunny remarked dryly. "He's just saying the word 'focused'. Which is what he wants you two knock-offs to be."

"Well, with your accent, I wouldn't use the word 'focused' too often," Hellboy jibed at Krauss.

Krauss sternly replied, "I knew Professor Trezzor Bruttenholm, young man."

Hellboy's shoulders tensed, as did Jack's. Even though it had been four years since his adoptive father was killed, the topic of Professor Broom was still a touchy one for Hellboy. Jack knew his pain all too well; he had watched Rasputin and Karl Kroenen kill Bruttenholm himself, and had felt all too happy to take vengeance on the psychopathic sword-wielding murderer.

"You didn't know Professor Broom," Hellboy said sharply, trying to indicate that as far as he was concerned, the conversation had gone far enough.

Krauss replied instantly, "Yes I did! After ze accident vhich reduced my body to ectoplasm…"

"Shut up, shut up," Hellboy dismissed irritably with a wave of his hand.

"Mr. Krauss, I really don't think you should continue with this," Jack said, his previous mischief and bonhomie giving way to concern.

But the ectoplasmic man continued regardless, "He designed zis containment suit for me to better control my capabilities. He vas truly a vonderful man." He then sharply returned to the subject of Hellboy. "Yet even zen, he vas vorried about your future, young man. He said to me…"

"Hey, Gas-Bag, stop it!" Hellboy said, his tone as warning as the red finger he pointed at Johann's glass face. "Right now." It was clear to Jack that Hellboy's temper was reaching danger level.

But Krauss refused to take the hint. "Or vot?" he retorted. "Are you trying to threaten me? Because I zink I can take you."

Hellboy looked up at him with fierce scepticism. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"You heard vot I said."

Hellboy walked slowly over to Krauss. "I couldn't hear you from all the way over there," he said, with an intimidatingly meaningless waving finger.

"I can take you, because you have vone fatal flaw," Krauss continued, not in anyway threatened by the imposing demon's being so close to him.

"Oh, I wanna hear about it," Hellboy said with an air of forced calm.

"No, you don't," Krauss chuckled. "You can't take criticism."

"Try me out," Hellboy insisted, but Krauss was not going to answer him so freely.

"Can't take it," he taunted, whilst poking Hellboy in the chest.

This was a step too far in Hellboy's opinion. Getting right into Krauss' face, he shouted at him, "Just tell me, Gas-Bag! WHAT'S MY FLAW?!"

Krauss remained as robotically composed as ever as he replied, "Ze flaw zat you are displaying now! Your temper! It gets ze best of you. Makes you veak. Makes you vulnerable-"

CRACK!

Hellboy's stone fist shot out and hit Johann right in the glass of his helmet, breaking it open like a stone through a window. Jack shouted and jumped backwards in alarm, whilst Bunny dug a hole in the floor and retreated into it, disturbed by this display of violent behaviour on Hellboy's part.

Even Hellboy himself seemed shocked by the consequences of his actions. "Oh, poop," he cursed, as Johann Krauss staggered forwards, choking and gasping, while dense white gas poured out of his helmet and he sunk to his knees, his containment suit slowly deflating like a punctured balloon.

"Johann?" Hellboy called. "Johann? Hey, Johann? Johann?" but the white gas had already seeped underneath the floor of the lockers.

Hellboy glanced around uneasily. "Come on, pal, hang in there, will ya?" he said desperately. Receiving no reply, he sighed under his breath and leaned against the lockers. He then took a sip from his beer, but then something surprising happened.

With a loud cry of "HAIYA!" a locker door swung open and smacked his face.

"Ow!" Hellboy incredulously said, just before a second locker door opened and smacked his head from behind. And then, in quick succession, the whole chain of locker doors started opening and slamming into different parts of his body, but one thing Jack notice was that each opening door had a stream of white gas behind it. Krauss was somehow spreading out his essence and turning the very room into a weapon to use against Hellboy.

Pushed backwards and forwards by the doors, Hellboy ended up spilling all his beer and finally sank to his knees. And then the attack was rounded off with a final door slamming into his face with enough strength to leave an impression in the metal. Hellboy got up unsteadily, then tried to take a sip of his beer again, only to find he'd spilled it, whereupon he simply dropped the can to the floor disappointedly.

Immediately, a stream of white gas poured out from beneath the locker and rose upwards in the form of a vaguely human shape. It had no facial characteristics or hair colour(or even clothes for that matter), but from what Jack could tell, it must be Johann Krauss as he normally looked outside of his suit. He was almost like a walking shape of mist.

"Zere ve are!" Krauss remarked very cheerfully, none the worse for having been forcibly expelled from his own suit. "Your temper, it makes you bad. Makes you overconfident. You must learn to control it, Agent Hellboy, before it controls you."

He next turned to look at Jack. "As for you, Agent Frost, I have no furzer complaints, but right now, I vill go elsevhere to finish my Smarties. _Tchus_." And he floated off very jauntily, singing a German song under his breath and leaving his suit behind as he went off to relax elsewhere.

Hellboy then called Krauss a very inventive insult which Jack made a note of for further use, but for the sake of not putting off any younger readers of this story, we'll just translate it as a "pompous bag of glass and gas". Bunnymund just shook his head and went back to painting eggs in his room.

Later on, having put his t-shirt back on, Hellboy walked off with Jack to visit the library and check in on Abe. As they reached the main doors, Jack made out a faint noise and pressed his head against the wood, trying to listen in.

Behind the door, the sound of soft rock music was playing; not something that you'd expect Abe, who mainly preferred classical music, to be listening to. The pair quickly entered, only to find that there was now classical music playing on the loudspeakers instead. Abe was seated alongside Hiccup on a luxury sofa, whilst Toothless sat in front of his master, accepting a full joint of pork which he ate slowly.

"Oh, hello, Red. You and Jack are up late," Abe said very innocently, as though trying to hide what he'd been listening to before he came in.

"Same to you, Abe," Jack returned. "What were you just listening to then?"

"Oh, uh, Vivaldi," Abe replied. " _Il cimento dell'armonia_."

"You liar, Abe," Hiccup teased from his own seat. "They could hear you changing records just before they came in."

"What's that?" Hellboy asked, pointing to something in Abe's webbed hands.

Abe revealed the item. "Oh, this? It's a remote control, Red." But Hellboy kept looking at him, so he revealed the second item he was holding. "This is…a CD. It's a CD."

Jack walked over to examine the CD cover. "Popular Love Songs," he read aloud. "Why are you listening to this, Abe?"

Hellboy buffeted him gently. "Isn't it obvious, Snowcone?" he asked. "Our fishy friend here has fallen in love with the Princess."

"Which one?" Jack frowned. "We've got three different princesses here in the BPRD, one of them's already got a boyfriend."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "We're talking about Nuala, Jack. Who else would we be talking about?"

"She's like me," Abe sighed gently. "A creature of an ancient time. Unique and beautiful."

"You need to get out more," Hellboy replied.

"Apart from her father, Balor, she's alone in the world. I want to help her. I need to care for her." The psychic piscine was very sensitive in his comments.

"You're in love. Have a beer," Hellboy cracked open one of his own cans and offered it to Abe.

"No, seriously, Red, my body's a temple," his friend protested.

"Well, now it's an amusement park," was the returned jibe.

"No, no, no, the glandular balance…"

"Just shut up and drink it, would ya?" Abe sighed and accepted the drink. Hellboy then produced a second metal can and broke it open for Hiccup.

"Red, I've told you before, I don't drink beer," the Viking protested.

"This ain't beer, kid," Hellboy chuckled, before then wafting the can under Hiccup's nose. Through the open neck, Hiccup could make out that the drink in question was dense, foamy and yellowish-white, and smelt suspiciously of…

"Hellboy," Hiccup began incredulously, "Is this drinks can full of…Yaknog?"

"Home-made, buddy," Hellboy agreed.

Abe would have raised his eyebrows if he had any. "Red, you've never even been to Denmark. How did you know how to make an ancient Viking recipe jealously guarded for years?"

"Simple," Hellboy replied. "I asked Hic's girlfriend how she makes that brew, and she wrote it down for me. Then I just followed the instructions."

Hiccup felt a bit uneasy at this point. "You know, Red, Astrid's Yaknog recipes are seriously out-of-date, even for a Viking in the modern world, so this might taste a little disgus…MMMMPH!"

Hellboy cut him off by getting one hand behind his head and the other hand poured a canful of Yaknog froth down his throat. Hiccup struggled for a few moments, but then slumped into a more relaxed posture, grinning eagerly.

"Whoa, that tastes far better than I thought it would!" Hiccup asked. "Why does your Yaknog taste so nice, Hellboy?"

His large red friend fixed them a roguish smirk. "Just 'cos I'm a demon doesn't mean I'm an awful cook, dragon boy. Now then, Abe, what track were you listening to?"

They were back to the topic of Abe's love life again. "Track eight," he replied clumsily, still busy savouring his drink.

Hellboy read off the back of the CD. " _Can't…Smile…Without…You_ ," he finished. "I'm gonna need a drink too."

"What is that song?" Hiccup asked, since the most popular love-song back in Berk in his time was "The Dancing and the Dreaming."

"A guy called Barry Manilow wrote this some time ago, Hic," Jack filled in, whilst trying to get his hands on more Yaknog drink cans, but to no avail, since Toothless kept shoving him away from the drinks, clearly suspecting he might go mad if he had such an energy-rich drink. "You don't mind if I join in on this number too, do you? Only I think Abe might be having some company in the Lonely Hearts Corner tonight."

Hiccup frowned as he finished off his Yaknog. Who could Jack have developed a crush on? Certainly not Merida, one of the only two girls who were still technically "available"; the first time they'd met, Merida had threatened to fire arrows through Jack's hoody after he sprinkled frost in her hair. Then Hiccup remembered the almost admiring way in which he'd spoken of another female figure the very same night they'd first begun this whole mission…quest…thing at the Auction House, and he quickly realized…

"Jack, you sly old Arctic Fox," Hiccup sniggered. "You fancy Tooth, don't you?"

And Jack made no attempt to agree with or challenge Hiccup; he simply tucked in his feet and sat alongside his three friends and the dragon, whilst Abe prepared to turn on the music again.

"You see, Hiccup, I love this song," Abe said to him beforehand. "You see, I _can't_ smile. Or cry. I think I have no tear ducts."

"Well, good thing the rest of us do," Hiccup joked, before the music began playing; a soft guitar intro and faint background humming. Abe began to bob his head along to the music.

"I wish Father were here now," Hellboy sighed to Jack. "He'd know what to tell you…us. The romantic crisis three."

"Tell me about it," Jack sighed. "All this time spent on making kids happy, I never once thought about how it might feel to make _myself_ happy in life for a change. I'd be glad to even get some advice from North right now, he's had experience in these things."

Then Abe began to sing softly, counting time with his fingers:

" _I can't smile without you,_

 _I can't smile without you,_

 _I can't laugh, and I can't sing,_

 _I'm finding it hard to do anything._ "

Then Hellboy nudged Jack and the pair of them joined in with Abe on his singing; Hiccup only sung the chorus lines, due to not knowing the song as well as his friends did, whilst Toothless growled softly and rolled his large green eyes towards the ceiling. _Bunch of saps_ , he thought, as he finished off his joint of pork.

" _You see, I feel sad when you're sad,_

 _I feel glad when you're glad,_

 _If you only knew what I'm going through;_

 _I just can't smile without you._ "

And the four friend's voices echoed throughout the whole BPRD building, as though given resonance by their passion. And wherever they were in the building, all the BPRD crew stopped and listened in. Liz, from her straw-coated bed in Hellboy's room, perked up her head upon hearing this unexpected tender poeticism from her demonic boyfriend; Rapunzel and Flynn ceased playing chess against one another in their own room to dance along to the music; Merida missed one of her archery targets as Hiccup sung a beautiful chorus line, whilst Astrid simply clutched her axe and smiled warmly.

Even Manning stopped discussing business with Krauss(who had just got the BPRD director to repair his damaged suit and re-possessed it) to admire the music. But the keenest response was that of Tooth; as soon as she heard the Guardian of Fun singing, she literally swept Bunny off his feet and went on a fluttering waltz around the chamber Manning had allotted them, full of exotic plants to make them feel more at home.

"Just listen to him sing, Bunny!" Tooth chirped passionately. "Isn't he spectacular?"

"Blimey," Bunny murmured, still in surprise at being invited to dance like this. "Never knew Frostbite had it in him."

" _You came along, just like a song,_

 _And brightened my day:_

 _Who'd have believed you were part of a dream?_

 _Now it all seems far away,_

 _And now you know I can't smile without you,_

 _I can't smile without you._ "

Just then, in Merida and Nuala's room, the Elf Princess, who had been hitherto enjoying the music, suddenly got to her feet and reached out one hand, psychically scanning the locality. A soft gasp was all that it took to alert her friend that something wasn't right with her. The Scottish princess ran over to place a hand on her shoulder.

" _Cad é atá ann, Nuala_ (what is it, Nuala)?" she asked in Irish Gaelic. " _Cad a fheiceann tú_ (what do you see)?"

" _Tá sé anseo_ (He's here)," was the only reply the Princess of Bethmoora gave, and Merida did not even need to ask her who "he" was, for she knew by now.

Nuada.

 **There we are, guys. Sorry I took so long with the updates, but good stories are something you need to take time over. I think this is one of my longest updates yet, so please let me know what you think, providing it's not flames. Anyone who flames gets paid a visit by Nuada with a very sharp temper and an equally sharp spear. So until next time, rate and review!**

 **Sammael29**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 8: Nuada gets nasty

Whilst Merida and Nuala were busy hurrying to the library, Hellboy and his friends were going the other way, back to the friendly demon's room. By this point, Hellboy and Abe had ran through a massive amount of beer cans, and subsequently were a bit clumsy as they entered the room, accidentally bumping into one of Hellboy's many TV sets, and staggering a bit.

The only people who weren't drunk were Liz(who was asleep), Toothless(because dragons don't drink), and Jack, Bunny and Hiccup(Bunny for the same reasons as Toothless, Jack and Hiccup just because they knew better- also Hiccup just preferred the Yaknog of Hellboy's own making). Hellboy was busy rummaging through his beer pack, until he found a single can.

"It's the last one," he slurred numbly, before resignedly chugging back his booze and turning to look at his beautiful sleeping girlfriend. A collective "awwwww" swept through the bunch of friends. Bunny then produced a large egg from his backpack(Jack had no idea where he'd got it from), and cracked the top off with his large incisors, eating it and then tipping the egg backwards to pour its contents(liquid chocolate) down his throat. A good swallow, and then Bunny started making gargling noises(although, as far as Jack was concerned, it was more like didgeridoo noises). Toothless growled at him for ruining the tender moment.

"Look at her," Hellboy continued softly, gazing down at Liz. "She is it. She's my whole life, you know?" He nodded towards Hiccup. "She's like your shieldmaiden(Hiccup blushed)…and _your_ Princess(he turned to Abe), and everyone else here's special one." He then walked over to Toothless and nudged him in the ribs. "I bet it won't be long before you've got your own girl-dragon, right, Toothless? Just reeking of feminine beauty…"

"Are you quoting _Shrek_ now, Red?" Jack sniggered, but the joke was ignored by Hellboy, who had returned to the topic of Liz again.

"I would give my life for her," he slurred, before darkly muttering, "but she also wants me to do the dishes."

" _I_ would die," Abe drunkenly responded, " _and_ do the dishes."

Jack and Hiccup sank against each other's shoulders trying to restrain laughter.

Hellboy then asked, "Why is she mad at me, Abe? It's not 'cause the room is dirty and I've got too many cats. It's something else."

"Well, why don't you just ask her, then?" was the psychic fish-person's response.

"No, he can't, ya fishy drongo," Bunny jibed. "Listen, when a sheila looks like she's mad about something, but she's really mad about something else, ya can't ask her, cos otherwise she gets angry…"

"Because you had to ask," Hellboy finished for him. "Do you know what we mean?"

Abe looked as though he was about to agree, but Hiccup said, "No need to answer the question, Abe. We're just saying, you need to…you know, find out what your girlfriend's mad about."

Jack then hissed to Bunny, "And how is it you know so much about women all of a sudden, Bunny?"

"Well, us Guardians aren't all free spirits, Frosbite, know what I mean?" Bunny replied deftly, before then displaying one of his furry fingers- around its base was a silver ring sculpted to resemble two rabbits running, with a heart-shaped gemstone in the centre.

Jack's chill-blue eyes widened at this point. "Bunny, you sly old lagomorph… You actually popped the question? Who to?"

"The who and where's me own business, Frostbite," the Easter Guardian replied. "You keep off my girl and spend more time with your own."

Abe then spoke out, "Listen, Red. Me and Rapunzel… we know what's going on with Liz."

Unfortunately, by this point Liz finally woke up and sat up in her bed, looking around slowly at Hellboy.

"Red…" she murmured, her voice soft as if wondering why her boyfriend was with her instead of with his other friends, but then she turned to see who had spoken and her eyes narrowed. "Abe…"

Sensing an argument was about to break out, Hiccup warned the fish, "Abe, maybe we could continue this conversation some other time…"

But the drunken Abe refused to take a hint. "I'm sorry, Hiccup, Hellboy has to know," he said.

"ABE!" Liz snarled at him, desperately attempting to stop him from revealing her pregnancy.

"Know what? Why?" was the oblivious demon's own question.

But before Abe could speak, Jack quickly shoved past the fish and said quickly, "She's been making outfits, Red!"

Hellboy frowned.

"Outfits for… horses!" Jack continued, clearly trying his best at improvising. "She's been hired by the Grand National to make clothes for the horses there! That's why she moved out! She needed more room to work on her outfits!"

Had the security alarm gone off a moment later, the likelihood is that Abe might have picked holes in Jack's poorly-fabricated lie, but as it was, a loud ringing and red flashes from the wall interrupted them.

Hiccup first felt relieved, but then he felt alarmed, for if the alarm was going off, then…

"We've got an intruder," Bunny growled, drawing one of his boomerangs and then stamping twice on the floor; a rabbit hole opened beneath him and he dropped inside the hole and disappeared.

The previous conversation forgotten, Liz got out of bed, Hellboy and Abe left quickly, whilst Jack picked up his staff and Hiccup unsheathed Inferno.

"That outfits story, Jack; where did you get it from?" Hiccup incredulously remarked, as he got Toothless saddled up again.

Jack glared at him. "You, obviously."

Hiccup nodded. "Oh, yeah, I'd forgotten that."

Meanwhile, Merida and Nuala were quickly running through the corridors of the BPRD headquarters, trying to find the third crown-piece before Nuada got there. As they ran, Merida's mind was filled with a brief image; Nuada, his spear stained with blood, bending down to pat the muzzle of one of the security guard's Alsatians. "Good dog," he murmured.

Then she reawoke, and Nuala pulled her through the doors into the BPRD library.

"If Nuada gets the map, he'll know where to find the Golden Army," Nuala warned. "We need to destroy it, Merida."

"Right, let's get tae it, then!" the princess of Dunbroch replied.

Nuala detached the crown piece from her belt, then pulled a book of poetry from the shelf. She quickly slipped the crown piece in between the pages, then replaced the book.

Merida, at the same time, opened the map cylinder and quickly threw both the blank parchment within and the metal container into the library's hearth. She had little time to watch the parchment burn, however, for just then a hand grasped her by the shoulder, forcing her to turn and look into the face of the man who had been haunting her dreams for three times now.

"Hello, Merida," Prince Nuada said.

The Elf Prince had a cold smile upon his face as he looked upon Merida with his golden eyes. Stood directly behind him was Pitch, looking disturbingly smug. Merida looked back at him, her eyes wide with panic.

"Nuada," she murmured. "But.. how do ye know me?"

"My sister knows you," was his reply. "And therefore, I know you as well. There are no secrets between you and I, are there, Nuala?"

Nuala made no response. Pitch then brushed past them to look into the fire.

"Burning the map? Very creative, princesses." Pitch slowly passed his left hand over the fire. "However, the parchment itself is of no importance. What _is_ interesting, however, is the cylinder…"

With perfect ease, the Boogeyman leaned over and lifted the metal cylinder out of the fire. He then walked over to a wooden desk, and pressed the cylinder onto a sheet of paper there, rolling it over and leaving what looked like illustrations on the desktop.

Merida's jaw dropped at the sight of what lay before her. It was an ancient illustration of the globe, with a sun, two moons and a cloud indicating the four cardinal points. The rim of the globe was surrounded by runes, and in the middle, an image of England, with a sea serpent dancing through the water somewhere off the south coast. And off the coast of England, Ireland- with a tall, column-like shape acting as another indicator.

"The map's on the cylinder itself?" Merida said, looking incredulously down at the image.

"Correct, Merida," Nuada continued. "And we will find the Golden Army… _here_." He tapped the column sharply with one white finger, before then turning towards Nuala.

"And as for the crown piece," he continued softly, reaching out to smooth back some hair from Nuala's cheeks, "I know it's here somewhere. I can feel that much in you. Father always tried so hard to shield your heart from mine."

Merida gagged silently at the sight of this. From what Nuala had told her about her brother, Nuada, partially thanks to the Bond of Souls between them, had always sought to be closer to than as a sibling; Merida herself disapproved of a lot of crimes, but incest was the one which really made her feel violently sick to the pit of her stomach.

Nuada then released Nuala before walking over to the bookshelves. "You've hidden it in one of the books here. And I shall find it," he said to them, before reaching forwards and producing a blue book. Fortunately, it wasn't the one Nuala had used.

"Blue," Nuada mused, before glancing over both his sister and her friend. "You both always looked so beautiful in blue."

Merida raised her eyebrows at this point, not expecting such a compliment from her enemy.

"For a human, of course," Nuada added with a smirk, before then opening the book and running through its pages. "Love lost and found."

Pitch shook his head, clearly uninterested in the sentimental content of the book.

"Only words," Nuada continued, discarding the book and now filtering through numerous other blue books, still not the one he was after. "I will find it."

"Nuada!" Merida cried out, running over to stop him. Pitch tried to grab her shoulder and restrain her, but she simply elbowed his hand off and stood by the Elf, curbing her usual fighting attitude and trying to be reasonable with him, just as Elinor was. "Dinnae do this. Ye cannae wake th' Golden Army."

"And why ever not?" was his cold reply. "You humans have brought only terror and desolation upon all other forms of life which are not like you. Your greedy hearts will never have enough!"

"Look at a' this loss!" Merida persisted, her accent becoming more pronounced with her strong emotions. "Ye killed over 70 people wi' yer Tooth Fairies an' ye terrorised many more wi' yer Forest God, an' whit for? So ye cuid become unstoppable? So ye cuid rule th' world? Ye betrayed yer ane family, Nuada."

"A trivial sacrifice, when all my people shall finally reclaim their birth-right from the tyranny of mankind."

"An' then will ye finally feel satisfied? Will th' subjugation of a' my people make ye feel any better, Nuada?"

Nuada glared at her. "It's a start. I might also think of cutting your venomous tongue out, should you provoke me any further."

"Ye think ye're doin' Bethmoora a favour through yer actions, Nuada," she retorted. "But all ye're doin' is makin' the same mistakes as Mor'Du."

"Do not compare me to Mor'Du!" Nuada hissed, getting hold of Merida's face between his fingers. "Mor'du was human! He was too arrogant to accept that he should have shared his kingdom's power with his brothers, and his pride led to his downfall!"

Merida might have made a biting remark, but she still bore Nuada's threat about her tongue in mind.

"And what of me?" Nuada continued heatedly. "Mankind calls me a tyrant and a warmonger, Bethmoora calls me a dishonourable traitor. All because I respect nature when mankind defiles it, and because I am willing to fight for my homeland, unlike the rest of my people!"

He continued shakily, "When I first saw my father sign a treaty with mankind, I was enraged. I knew, even then, that mankind would not keep that promise, and I kept asking: Why could I not have been given command of the Army? I could have led them far better than my father, and then all those Bethmooran lives lost beforehand would have been avenged!"

Pitch then spoke forth. "Once we find the crown piece, we will reawaken the Golden Army. Nuada will send them forth into the world of men to kill all those who have oppressed our people. Those who are wise will stand down before us and be our subjects." He smiled fiercely. "And then I will finally be reunited with my precious daughter, Mother Nature."

"Yeah, about that," a voice interrupted. "Your reunion's gonna have to wait, Pitch."

Nuada let go of Merida's cheeks, turning to face the speaker. It was Eugene, with Rapunzel stood behind him as well as the rest of the Big Four and the BPRD.

"Let Nuala go!" Abe shouted, attempting to shove his way forwards through the crowd.

"Abraham, no!" Nuala cried to her new boyfriend. "He'll kill you!"

"Abraham?!" Nuada hissed. He then grabbed his sister and pulled a dagger to her face. " _You speak to him like that?!_ " he angrily added in Gaelic.

"Get back!" Hiccup shouted, restraining Abe from running forwards.

"I will kill you, Abraham," Nuada warned, pressing his dagger into Nuada's cheek, fully aware of the impression in his own skin at the same time. "And anyone else if that is necessary." He then jerked the dagger sharply away, cutting Nuala, and at the same time, a similar wound opened in his own cheek, releasing blood. Merida grimaced at Nuada's dangerous nature; if he could even afford to injure Nuala, despite knowing that he would also injure himself, then he was even more determined than she thought.

"Why don't you start with us?" came a challenging voice. Hellboy then shoved his way through the crowd, Jack Frost close at his heels. Hellboy had his fists clenched and Jack was wielding his staff; both were determined to fight back, fortunately.

Unfortunately, Hellboy was still drunk.

"Your royal nastiness," he drawled tauntingly, before staggering forwards down the short staircase towards the Elf.

Merida curse inwardly. Now that he was drunk, Hellboy wouldn't stand a chance against Nuada! She just hoped Jack could take care of him.

"And your weapons of choice?" Nuada asked, taking the challenge seriously.

"Five-fingered Mary," Hellboy replied, displaying his stone hand(which only had four fingers).

"And my staff," Jack added, swinging it for effect; gusts of icy wind started blowing around him.

"Fair enough," Nuada noted, before then drawing his own weapon, the silver spear.

"Jack!" Toothiana called to the Guardian of Fun, pulling him over to her and looking deeply at him. "Whatever happens, don't underestimate this guy. He's dangerous."

"And so are we," Jack replied smugly, before finally gathering the icy wind gusts around the head of his staff and forming a club-head.

"Bash the livin' daylights out o' him, Snowcap," Merida passionately encouraged, before running back to watch the fight.

"And they're gonna fight," Hiccup remarked dryly.

Jack was the first to make a move, swinging his staff in a neat arc. Nuada swung back, and the two weapons blocked one another. For a few moments, they pushed against one another, but then Nuada ducked and let Jack slide over his head. He then straightened up and twirled the spear, before pointing it straight at Hellboy; the shaft extended to its full length, now long enough to give even a big demon something to worry about.

"Red, whatever you do, you mustn't hurt the prince," Abe warned, just as Jack jumped Nuada from behind. Nuada performed a neat gymnastic flip, throwing the Guardian off his shoulders, before then grabbing him by the shoulders and throwing him across the room; even with his ability to control the wind, Jack was still shocked by the surprise agility of that attack.

"What?" Hellboy asked incredulously. Usually Abe wouldn't be advising him _not_ to hurt his opponents(unless, of course, they were the annoying kind like Sammael, which could reproduce themselves each time one of them was killed).

"Remember, Red," Abe repeated. "Nuada and Nuala are connected by a magic link. If you hurt him, you'll also hurt Nuala."

Merida cursed inwardly. Now she wished she hadn't been so keen to encourage Jack to fight Nuada. If things went wrong, one of the two people she most cared about in this time would be seriously injured.

"But if I don't hurt him, _he'll_ hurt Jack!" Hellboy protested, and sure enough, Nuada managed to pole-vault into the air and knock Jack from the air with a kick to the face. Tooth and Bunny visibly winced at this point; no-one could interact with the Guardians or even hurt them unless they believed in them. And Nuada, whatever else he may be, clearly believed in Jack.

Unfortunately, he also believed he could defeat him.

Nuada lunged at Jack, who repeatedly tried to block his strokes with the staff. Each time Nuada's spear chipped away a piece of the wood, Jack felt as though pieces of his own being were being cut away instead. Finally, he created a huge blast of icy wind and blew Nuada away from him. However, the Elven prince had clearly taken up some kind of elemental resistance training, for he quickly got back up again and glared hard at Jack.

"Pitch told me all about you," he said thoughtfully. "Jack Frost…the Guardian of Fun, aren't you? Well, I hate to tell you this, boy…but the fun is over. From this point on, I fight to kill."

"Good luck with that," Jack sneered, before then coating both his fists with ice.

However, at this point Hellboy charged into the fight and swung at Nuada with one fist. The Elf ducked in response and quickly hit Hellboy's stone arm with his spear several times. Then he cut open the left leg of the demon's trousers, making him fall to his knees. Nuada's spear was instantly at his throat. He looked up at Nuala.

"Now will you give me the crown piece?" he asked, his tone sharp.

"No," Nuala replied.

Nuada quickly forced Hellboy to his feet. Hellboy tried to grab the spear and pull it away from his throat, but the prince just moved it to his right shoulder. Then he dodged Hellboy's fists and used the spear's flat edge to flip him over to the ground.

"The piece," Nuada insisted again.

"No," Nuala still replied.

Pitch glared at her from his place in the corner of the room. "The rules are simple, Princess. Give us the piece, and we won't have to kill him."

"And then what will you do with the crown?" Nuala replied. "You will kill countless innocent people. I refuse to let that happen, Pitch Black."

"So be it," Pitch replied darkly(as dark as can be expected for a king of shadows).

With a furious yell, Jack threw himself forwards and dived at Nuada with his staff held like a spear. Nuada was undaunted and simply kicked him backwards, before then shoving Hellboy after him. The demon fell on top of the Guardian and they both fell through a solid wooden desk. Immediately, Nuada jumped overhead just as Hellboy got back up, clipping him across the back with a stroke of his spear. Jack got to his feet and released a massive blast of ice, shielding both himself and Hellboy, whilst the Elf prince simply stabbed at the ice repeatedly, trying to break through it. For a moment, it looked as though the fight was over, but then Pitch waved his hands, creating a huge hammer from black Nightmare sand, which he then smashed through the ice with. Nuada immediately jumped forwards and kicked Hellboy away from him. His next kick knocked Jack backwards into the ranks of the Big Four.

The worried Four started to help Jack to his feet. Rapunzel rubbed her hair against his bruises, whilst Toothless licked him tenderly. Even Bunny looked mildly concerned for his former rival. But Tooth was the worst affected; she was so worried, she might have been biting her fingernails if she wasn't so obsessed with her dental hygiene.

"Abe, this is not going well," Hellboy said tiredly.

"I'm sorry, Red, but they are linked," Abe reminded him.

And then, to make things worse, Liz pushed her way through the crowd to see her boyfriend. "Red!" she called.

"Liz," Hellboy called back.

"Red, behind you!"

And then Jack looked over Hellboy's shoulder to see Prince Nuada about to strike.

A lot of people called Jack impulsive and reckless. But the truth of it was that he was willing to give his life for other people. That was the reason he first became a Guardian; for sacrificing himself to save his sister from falling through a frozen pond.

And for those same reasons, Jack abruptly ran between Nuada and Hellboy just as the spear was thrust forwards.

All at once, violent, agonizing pain tore through Jack's body, the kind of pain he hadn't felt since Pitch first broke his staff and threw him to the bottom of a chasm back in Antarctica. His eyes slowly travelled down his body until they met the spear, now embedded several inches deep in the flesh beneath his ribcage.

Smiling coldly at his pain, Nuada quickly pulled the spear out and next drove it into Hellboy's ribs, looking almost lazily down the weapon's body at them.

"Perhaps you may have wondered, in the past, 'can we be killed?'" Nuada asked, before jerking the spear-shaft; with a snap, the tip of the spear's head came off, and was left in Hellboy's ribcage. Nuada then held up the spear, and a new tip grew out of the spear's head, almost like a retractable blade. "You can now."

And then, with a thud, Hellboy fell to the ground. Jack fell a few minutes later, his staff dropping uselessly from his hands.

Almost immediately, the room became alive with screams; Rapunzel screamed in shock and broke away from Eugene to run over to Jack's. Astrid screamed in fury and tried to run past Hiccup and attack Nuada, so he was barely able to hold her back. Tooth screamed in grief and flew over to Jack, cradling his head between her hands and looking down to him with tear-filled pink eyes.

Liz, Merida and Abe ran over to Hellboy's side, holding on to the wounded demon and holding up his head. Merida painfully looked up at Nuada, her vision blurred with tears just like Tooth's. The prince had his sister's arm in a fierce grip; on his left flank stood Pitch, examining Nuada's spear.

"Intriguing," he said softly, stroking the metal with his fingers. "This spear's metal is enchanted to kill even those who cannot normally be killed; demons, spirits…even Guardians. What I could do with more of these…"

Nuada was the next to speak, glaring across at the psychic fish-person and the red-haired princess.

"Listen to me, Abraham," he said fiercely. "And you, Merida. Many people have died for this crown. They will too. If you want to save them, and see my sister again(he pulled Nuala violently by the arm), you will find the missing piece and bring it to me."

And with those words, Nuada walked over to Pitch, and the King of Fear created a huge ball of shadows around all three of them. It dissipated, and as it disappeared, they were all gone.

Then, with a deafening bellow, Toothless slumped to the ground next to Hellboy, shedding tears onto the big demon's face and desperately licking him.

Shortly afterwards, Hellboy and Jack were moved to the infirmary; they were both attached to several machines and bandaged underneath their wounds, which had been cleaned around the edges. Both Abe and Rapunzel were working desperately to treat their friends' injuries, but they were not having much luck; mainly due to the fact that this was the first time ever that a Guardian had been seriously wounded, not counting the time when Pitch had shot the Sandman in a fight, for Sandman had been killed straight away.

Deprived of his shirt and his blue hoodie, Jack looked surprisingly pale(not that that was a surprise, given that he was the spirit of winter); even his few small chest hairs were white. But the wound Nuada had given him was a horrible, vivid red. It was thoroughly resisting any attempts by Rapunzel to heal it; the only results were that white sparks flew from his skin and he cried out in pain.

Abe's own attempts to treat Hellboy were similarly frustrated; lacking the ability to heal with the touch of his hair, he simply bent down to try and pull out the spear-head with a pair of tongs; but Hellboy just yelled in pain and writhed before him.

"JUST PULL THE STUPID THING OUT, ABE!" Liz screamed in a choked voice.

"I can't!" Abe replied. "Every time I touch the spear-head, or even come near to it, it moves closer to his heart."

"And I'm having no luck with Jack's wounds either," Rapunzel added sadly. "Whatever Nuada did to him is too strong for even my healing magic to counteract."

"I don't know what else to do," Abe sadly continued. "Red's wound will not heal until the spear-head is removed, and Jack requires healing magic to treat his own wound. We are running out of time."

"Then we go after Nuada and Pitch," Astrid said firmly, her own hair let down out of its usual braids. "And then we make that pointy-eared scumbag save Hellboy and Jack."

"I'm with you, babe," Hiccup said, and he and Astrid walked off to get kitted out for a fight.

"Hey, Liz?" a weak voice asked from one of the medical beds. It was Hellboy, obviously.

"Ssh, don't talk," she gently replied.

"No, no, let me tell you," he persisted. "You asked me what was important to me. I know now. It's you guys…all of you guys… but most of all, _you_."

"Red," Liz whispered feebly.

"I could turn my back on society, all of it," the demon continued, raising his head weakly. "All I need is you by my side."

"I'll stay with you," Liz said croakily, slipping her hand into Hellboy's huge palm. "You're the best man I've ever met."

"Same here, Red," Eugene added, walking over to take Hellboy's other hand, admiring how impressively smooth it was as he did so.

Rapunzel smiled warmly at her husband's touching behaviour. Pascal gave him a thumbs-up from her shoulder and Maximus whinnied proudly.

At the same time, Tooth leaned over Jack, softly stroking her fellow Guardian's face.

"I'm sorry, Tooth," Jack replied, wincing at the violent pain in his left flank.

"Don't be," she replied in her soft, sweet voice. "You're one of the bravest spirits I've ever worked alongside all these years."

"I got overconfident," Jack replied. "I knew Pitch well enough to take him on, but even I didn't know an Elf could fight like that." He chuckled dryly. "Seems I'm not that well cut out for this job."

At this point, Bunnymund then walked over to look down on Jack from the other side, grasping hold of one of his hands.

"We're not finished here, mate," he said in a low voice. "We're not gonna let you die. We're gonna fix you good, and then we're gonna find that Nuada, and Pitch, and then we're gonna kick his b****y ass."

Tooth slapped him over the head. "Bunny!" she lightly teased. "Not in front of the kids!"

"Hey, all of us are adults here!" Eugene protested.

"Yeah, but we Guardians are hundreds of years older than you," Bunny replied. "Therefore, you're kids."

Back in the BPRD library, Abe Sapien, wearing his black bodysuit again, was busy scanning through the bookshelves with his psychic powers. As he did so, he finally found the book he was looking for.

A blue book of romantic poetry, by Tennyson.

The same book he had heard Nuala reading from earlier that day.

" _Be near me when my light is low,_

 _When the blood creeps_

 _And the heart is sick_

 _And all the wheels, of being slow_ …"

The same book into which she had slipped her crown piece to prevent Nuada from finding it.

As the small gold ornament dropped into his hands, Abe was once again threatened by the all-time nightmare of a psychic creature; that of painful choices. He knew full well that should he give the piece to Nuada, he would reawaken the Golden Army and declare war on mankind. And since Abe had sworn to defend mankind from evil, he would be one of the first whom Nuada would send the Army after. The consequences of such an action were too horrible to imagine.

But then he remembered Nuala; brave, sweet Nuala, with her gracious touch and her sweet mind, who had risked her life to help them in their battles, and had no-one to turn to except him; he remembered Nuada's threat to her well-being. Although Nuada did not sound likely to really threaten his sister's well-being, knowing that killing her meant killing himself, his actions earlier had shown that he was a deadly man to run afoul of. Should Abe refuse him, would he lose the only woman he had ever loved with his whole heart for always?

"Forgive me, Merida," he whispered, as he slipped the crown piece inside his pocket.

Back in the BPRD meeting room, the Big Four were suited up for action. Hiccup was wearing his black and red dragon rider's outfit, whilst Astrid wore her red top and brown furs. Rapunzel and Eugene wore their jumpsuits, and Merida was outfitted in her own teal jumpsuit, with her bow slung over her back.

Unfortunately, they were being forced to endure more excruciatingly tedious talk from Manning and Krauss as to the information they had gleaned from the map produced from the surface of the metal cylinder.

"Ze cylinder's coordinates have proved most useful," Krauss smartly remarked, pointing to the map with his ectoplasmic fingers(fortunately, his suit had been given quick repairs after Hellboy damaged it in the locker room fight). "Ze Golden Army is located in ze County Antrim, Norzen Ireland(Hiccup briefly thought he meant a part of Ireland inhabited by Vikings, thanks to Krauss' German accent). Directly beneath ze Giant's Causevay."

"Giant's Causeway?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yes, it's a huge formation of rock columns in Ireland, Princess," Manning filled in for her. "The ancient Celts who lived there thought it was created by a giant to cross the sea between Ireland and Scotland, and the name stuck."

"Great, so now we know where it is, what are we waiting for?" Liz interrupted. "We should get going."

Krauss turned to look at her. "If ve do zat, Agent Sherman, ze Prince vill demand ze crown piece."

"So we give the crown piece to him!" Liz replied fiercely, her determination to save her boyfriend making her reckless.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Manning replied. All the Big Four glared at him at this point. It was as though the temperature of the room had dropped a few notches.

"What are ye sayin', Manning?" Merida asked, her arms crossed defiantly.

"Ze Golden Army must not avaken, Agent Merida," Krauss replied. "You of all people must understand zat."

"Oh, I understand," she agreed, her eyes hard with anger. "What I dinnae understand is why ye're not gonnae help us save Hellboy an' Snowcap."

"Is that it?" Liz continued, her temper threatening to get dangerous at this point. "Are you just going to let my boyfriend die?"

"I'm sorry," Krauss replied. "Ve called Vashington earlier, ve have our orders."

Flynn got up and walked over to Manning.

"What about you, _Tom_?" he asked, and his tone was dangerously sharp(that, and the fact that he'd addressed the BPRD director by his first name). "Hellboy and Jack saved your life, remember?"

"I know," Manning replied uncomfortably. He hated to be reminded of the time they had gone to fight against Rasputin in Moscow. After a spat with Hellboy, he ran into the cyborg Nazi swordsman Karl Ruprecht Kroenen in a chamber of the mausoleum. Manning was nearly killed, but Hellboy and Hiccup managed to defeat him by blowing a hole in his body(with the help of Toothless), and then crushing him under a huge gear in a spiked pit. Afterwards, Jack helped Manning avoid being killed by an old villain from Hiccup's own time period, Dagur the Deranged. Manning and the two former reprobates had come to respect each other more afterwards, but due to their attention-seeking behaviour recently, Manning had become distant with the two again.

Dr. Krauss interrupted to add, "Look, agents, I know zis is difficult for all of you, but…"

Liz abruptly cut him off. "Well, you can stay here if you like," she said coldly. "But I won't let Hellboy and Jack die."

"Neither will I," Toothiana added, beating her wings fiercely. She and Liz then turned and began to walk out of the room.

"Agent Sherman, may I remind you zat I am ze leader of zis team!" Krauss snapped at her, tapping his chest with one finger.

"Then perhaps we need a new leader!" Merida growled back at him, getting up from her seat and walking over to join the departing pyrokinetic and Tooth Fairy.

"Yeah, there's no doubt about that, _sir_ ," Liz spat sourly at the ectoplasmic German. "That is what you are, Dr. Krauss, the leader of this team, but you are nothing more to us; and if ever there was a time when you were human, that time is long gone."

And with those words, Liz and her two friends left the room. Straightaway, Rapunzel and Eugene got up and went after them, followed by Bunny and Hiccup. That left only Astrid in the room with Manning and Krauss.

Manning desperately walked over to Astrid to put his hands on her shoulders. "Ms. Hofferson, if there's at least one person in this room who can understand where we're coming from-"

"I DON'T TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU, MANNING, YOU SON OF A HALF-TROLL MUNGE-EATING RAT BUCKET!" Astrid shouted back at him, before shoving the BPRD director backwards onto a desk and storming out to see her boyfriend.

Manning got up from the desk, completely bewildered by what Astrid had just said to him. "What did…what did she call me?" he asked Krauss incredulously, but the German made no reply. It seemed as though Liz' own words had shocked him deeply as well.

"Do you want me to call them back, sir?" Manning asked Krauss.

"Let zem go," Krauss replied, his voice for once sounding not so robotic and uptight as it usually was. "I understand."

Manning then turned as a BPRD agent entered the room, who had been sent to look for the crown piece. "What about you?" he asked. "Have you anything yet?"

"No, nothing yet," the agent replied.

"Well, keep looking!" Manning insisted, before then shouting to the rest of the agents, "All of you!"

"Absolutely, sir," the agents agreed, before walking off.

Manning turned to face Krauss. "Don't worry, sir," he said firmly. "We know the crown piece is here. And we're gonna find it. When Tom Manning gets on the case, things get done. THEY GET DONE!" he added, a lot louder, as if trying to convince himself more than Krauss. "They get done!"

But Krauss was no longer listening. He reached into a small pocket on his clothing, then opened it to reveal a small red bag which he began stroking gently.

" _What do I do now, Gretel?_ " he thought aloud.

Elsewhere, Liz was busy trying to relax on top of a metal fitness pole. She was, due to her bad temper, on fire. Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup were around her, each doing different things; Rapunzel was busy braiding her hair, Merida was sharpening her arrows, and Hiccup was giving Toothless fishes. All very good ways of feeling destressed.

"Even without the piece, we still have to get them out of here," Liz said.

Merida looked up at her. "I know, Liz, but I meant it when I said that we cannae gi' Nuada th' piece."

"Who said anything about giving Nuada the piece?" Hiccup pointed out. "All we need to do is go to Antrim and find him and Pitch."

"And then we'll save our friends," Liz agreed, just as Abe came in. She got up and put a hand on his shoulder imploringly, turning off the fire as she did so. "Abe…"

"Just the five of us," Abe agreed.

"Not five of us," an Australian accented-voice interrupted. Bunny had entered alongside Toothiana. Both of them were fully-armed; Tooth had two pink-bladed swords drawn, while Bunny carried numerous large boomerangs on his person.

"We're coming as well," Bunny said firmly. "So are your fella, Blondie, and your sheila, Peg-leg. And you're not leaving without the pets either."

"Thanks, Bunny," Liz agreed, giving the Easter Guardian a knuckle-bump. "One thing, though…what are you helping us for?"

"Pitch is my enemy as well as yours," Bunny replied. "And I'm gonna give him what he deserves for what he's done to Frosbite."

Toothless warbled proudly. The Big Four were getting together again.

Minutes later, the Four had finally managed to pack up a plane to head out to Northern Ireland. With food for the journey, locations equipment and weapons, now they just needed to move out their friends. Keeping Hellboy and Jack's bandages well-tied, they got the two injured heroes to their feet and escorted them slowly out of the medical centre.

Hiccup and Astrid were now fully kitted-out for the journey. Astrid was wearing her red jumper with fur leggings and metal shoulder plates, as well as a spiked leather skirt and fur ruffs around the neck. Across her back, she carried two axes. Hiccup was wearing his dragon-riding outfit, complete with the ridged helmet that went over his face. At his side hung Inferno and his quill-sharpener(or dagger, depending on who you asked). As they walked forwards, one could almost hear dramatic music playing. Then it was revealed to be Eugene, listening to a stereo machine.

"Sorry, sorry," he said, as he put the record he'd been listening to back. "These modern items, you gotta love them."

Having finally packed all their supplies, the group were finally about to move their injured friends aboard the plane.

"Let's leave now," Abe said, "Before they run our clearance upstairs."

And then a familiar person walked in front of them.

" _Guten abend, meine freunden_ ," Dr. Krauss said to them nonchalantly. "Do you have authorization to take zat plane?"

Hiccup drew Inferno. He didn't want to use it on another BPRD agent, but if Krauss was going to act like a bureaucratic pain in the backside again, he might have little choice.

"Don't bother trying to stop us, Dr. Krauss," he said firmly, and Toothless growled alongside him.

"On ze contrary, Agent Horrendous Haddock ze Third," Krauss replied. "I'm not going to stop you."

"What?"

"I'm coming viz you."

Everyone's jaw dropped at this point; even Toothless' jaw, exposing his retracted teeth and making him look funny.

"Yes, I've been giving it some thought, and I think ve should be able to save Agent Hellboy and Jack." The ectoplasmic German produced a red bag of rich velvet and threw it to Rapunzel. She slowly opened it, emptying two small gold rings from within. Her green eyes widened in surprise.

"You see, Agent Sherman," Krauss continued, "You sink zat I am not human anymore, but you are wrong. I understand your pain- and Fraulein Toos Fairy's pain- all too vell."

The mechanical tone of his voice broke, and if Krauss had a face in his ectoplasmic body, the likelihood was that his cheeks would be streaked with tears by now. "A long time ago, Agent Sherman, I lost ze voman I loved, Mrs. Gretel Krauss. My wife."

"You were married?" Liz murmured, equally taken aback by what Krauss was telling them.

"Yes," he agreed. "My wife, she vas a great voman. I lost her in a freak accident in India, vhen ve vere out to banish a formidable spirit, and she vas killed by a hungry Kirata."

"A what?"

"A man viz ze upper body of a tiger. And my Gretel's death vas, in fact, ze source of my present misfortune."

Hiccup's mouth widened. "You mean this is why you're made out of…" he gestured to Krauss' ectoplasmic body in an unspecific way. "All this?"

"You just gestured to all of him," Astrid pointed out.

"Yes, it is," Krauss continued, as though he hadn't heard the shield-maiden's remark. "I vill tell you about how I became like zis some ozzer time. But for now, ve have ze tactical advantage! If you consider zis, Ze Prince Nuada and Pitch Black lack ze crown piece, and vizzout it, zey cannot avaken ze Golden Army. Zey are no threat! So ve vill go to visit zem, but ve do not need to bring zem ze crown piece. Hopefully, zey vill have a means of removing ze spear-head from Agent Hellboy."

"And Jack?" Hiccup asked.

"I have heard zat zere are powerful spirits dwelling vizzin the Giant's Causevay," Krauss replied. "Elemental beings like ze Forest God ve met last night. Zey vill know how to treat ze injuries of a Guardian."

"So, have we got clearance, then?" Liz asked, looking up at Krauss with a newfound admiration. Everyone was glad to have the ectoplasmic German on their side now.

Krauss laughed cheerfully. "Agent Sherman…Liz…forget ze clearance! Ve vill _take_ zat plane, and ve vill go to Ireland, and kick Nuada's-!"

Toothless let out an overjoyed roar, though it was largely to drown out the rude German word that was next to come out of Dr. Krauss' mouth.

The Big Four were going to Ireland!

 **There you are, my fans! One of the longest chapters I've ever wrote so far. Sorry it took so long, but from this point on, they're going to Ireland, and this is where it all gets….exciting!**

 **Rate and review if you like this, especially you, PrincessLuka.**

 **Sammael29**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 9: Angels, Gods and Goblins

Thirty minutes later, the BPRD aeroplane was heading out across the sea towards Antrim. Inside the plane were Hellboy and Jack, who was in no fit state to fly. Tending to them were Liz and Tooth, who didn't want to go out while her would-be boyfriend was still injured. A small flock of Tooth's mini-fairies were pressing an ice-pack to Jack's injuries, while Abe sat across the way with Eugene and Rapunzel. Outside the plane were two dragons, on both sides. Stormfly and Toothless, with their respective riders and atop their backs. Two other people were riding on the dragons; Bunny, strapped to Stormfly's underside since she only had enough room on her back for one, and Merida, seated on Toothless behind Hiccup(Astrid respected Merida enough to allow this).

Also inside the plane were Maximus and Pascal. The pair of them were alright for riding in a flying vehicle, however, Maximus had to be pacified with a few green apples to relax him. On occasion, Pascal tried to catch flies with his tongue, only to quickly realize there weren't any and get annoyed.

"So, Merida," Eugene asked over the communicator, "You're the one who knows most about Celtic places. Is there anything in County Antrim that we need to beware of while we're here?"

"A lot o' things in Celtic Ireland are dangerous, beardy lad," Merida replied from Toothless' back. "There's th' Golden Army, we know that. But there's also animals as well. There's Murrisks, which are huge, spiky, poisonous fishes. Also Formorians, ugly sea-dwellin' giants. They used tae fight against th' ancient Celtic gods who ruled o'er Ireland, the Tuatha de Danann. An', of course, there's th' Dobharchu."

"Which are… what?" Eugene asked tentatively.

"Colossal otters."

Eugene raised his eyebrows. "Seriously?"

Merida shot him a dirty look into the plane. "Aye, lad, otters. An' they have razor-sharp teeth an' eat people th' way bears eat salmon. Have ye ever met a Dobharchu before?"

The former bandit shook his head. "Well, Ginger, this is the first time I've ever been to Ireland in my life, so no, I've never met a Dog-barker… giant otter," he corrected himself, unable to pronounce the Gaelic word.

"Well, if ye do meet one, laddie, and ye dinnae have a weapon tae spare, run like mad and pray he disnae find ye."

"I hope we don't meet any of those at all," Rapunzel said in a hushed voice inside the plane. "Hellboy and Jack are already seriously injured as it is."

Tooth leaned over Jack, stroking his brow gently. None of them had ever seen the winter spirit looking so horribly in pain. His brow was creased, his teeth bared in a wincing grimace, and he groaned softly under his breath. The wound under his ribs was still as red and violent as ever. Tooth looked just as visibly pained.

Her purplish-pink eyes glistened with unshed tears as she darted between Hellboy and Jack, securing each of their bandages.

"Even my own powers of healing can't treat this," she said hoarsely, her feathers drooping and even the small flock of mini-fairies at her shoulders no longer looking as bright and bubbly as they usually were. "Whatever that spearhead's made of, it's even older than the magic of the Guardians. How could Pitch have made use of something so...monstrous, so unnatural?"

Liz frowned at her. "Why are you blaming Pitch for this, Tooth? It was Nuada who stabbed Red and Jack. Pitch only observed the fight."

"No, I don't think ya understand what Pitch's like, sheila," Bunny called from outside the plane. "He's a lot more powerful than some hot-headed elf prince with a spear. He's the physical embodiment of fear itself. His touch alone can turn the purest of dreams into the darkest of nightmares. He can leave kids plagued with terror just by lookin' at them. Also, ever wonder why he's called the _King_ of Fear? Pitch doesn't like takin' orders from other people. He prefers to be in command of others."

Realization struck Liz. "So you're saying that…"

"Yes, I am," the six-foot-one rabbit Guardian replied. "Pitch ain't workin' for Nuada. He's takin' advantage of his fear an' hatred of mankind for all the things they've done ta nature and ta his people. The Boogeyman's a master of psychological manipulation. If anythin', Nuada's workin' for him an' doesn't even suspect it. Cocky little show pony."

"What's really shocking is that Pitch would do something like this," Tooth continued sadly. "He's fallen so far into evil, I doubt even he can remember what he was like before…before he became this."

Liz frowned. "Wait, Pitch didn't use to be like this? Evil, I mean?"

Tooth nodded. "A long time back, Liz, Pitch was a benevolent spirit who dwelt within the skies. And he was not just a spirit, he was a war hero, a general of the Golden Age. General Kozmotis Pitchiner, the man who led the Golden Armies…"

"I assume we're talking about a different Golden Army here, right?" Eugene interrupted. "Not the evil, mechanical kind we're trying to get rid of?"

"Yes we are. _These_ Golden Armies were the celestial spirits created to maintain wonder, hopes and dreams in the world of men; you might say, they were precursors to the Guardians. Pitchiner helped capture the Fearlings and Dream Pirates, evil spirits which opposed the Golden Armies, and locked them inside a prison, there to stand guard over them. And why did Pitch do this? Because he had a family, you see."

Rapunzel spat out a mouthful of hazelnut soup she'd been eating as a refreshment. "Pitch was married?"

Tooth again nodded sadly. "His wife, Lady Pitchiner, had one daughter, Emily Jane, a wild, joyful child much like you, Merida(the Scottish princess smiled at this). Pitch loved his family with all his heart. However, the Dream Pirates hated Pitch passionately, and longed to break his proud, noble spirit. So the best way for them to do that, was to destroy what he loved most."

Liz and the rest of the group fell silent, imagining what it must have been like back in those days when fear and order fought each other; clashes of swords, the roar of fire, nightmarish screams of rage and defiant yells. It was as though Tooth had thrown them into a glimpse of the past like Merida's glimpses of Nuada.

"Pitch was tricked into heading out to find the Dream Pirates' stronghold, and whilst he was elsewhere, they broke into his house and targeted his wife and daughter.

Emily Jane had always been a free-spirited child. At the time when the Pirates attacked, she had already escaped via a sky-boat. Lady Pitchiner knew that the Pirates would return for her later, so she took a wooden doll in her arms, one which resembled her daughter, and held it under her cape. As the Dream Pirates broke through the doors, they glared across at her with their cold yellow eyes.

'Give us the girl,' they hissed, in voices which echoed like an icy shadow in the wind.

'Never,' she replied, and with a final glance towards the sky, Lady Pitchiner threw herself backwards through a window. Out of the sky, she plummeted, to the ground… and to her death."

Tooth broke off at this point, and Bunny took up the tale in quick succession. And so dramatically did he speak in his Australian accent that the stream of images continued as normal for everyone listening.

"When Pitch found out about his sheila's death, he was in such pain and grief, he very nearly killed the Dream Pirates. He went about findin' an' imprisonin' those evil blights of existence wherever he could. The only thing which kept him sane, all those years he spent listenin' ta the rotten little pests screamin', whisperin' an' pleadin' was a locket he kept about him at all times, containing a portrait of his proud, rebellious daughter, freely sailin' in the skies.

But then the Fearlings learned of Pitch's weakness, an' they hypnotized Pitch inta believin' that Emily Jane was locked inside the cell with 'em. He opened the doors to release her, but all that came out was a vengeful cloud of Fearlings who dived inta his heart an' possessed him. An' thus was born Pitch Black, the Nightmare King.

His heart was so blackened with thoughts of vengeance, Pitch wanted ta blacken all dreams with nightmares. He vengefully rampaged through the world of men, leavin' misery an' darkness in his wake. That was in the early medieval era, in the time known as the Dark Ages."

Bunny's voice became stronger and more proud as he continued, "But then, at the height of his power, Pitch was defeated. The Man in Moon, who had suffered at Pitch's hands, like many people, created the Guardians. An' with our wonder, hopes an' dreams, we defended mankind from 'im, an' gradually, no-one believed in Pitch anymore. An' if you don't believe in one of the Guardians, he loses power. An' from that day since, we've been protectin' the children of the world, in whom lie the hopes for the future, from Pitch's nightmares. An' so long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives."

After a few moments' silence, Merida was the next to speak. "I've just got one question tae ask, Bunny. What happened tae Pitch's wee lass Emily?"

"Glad ya asked, Firetop," Bunny replied(Hiccup had a good snigger at Bunny's nickname for Merida, earning him a jab in the ribs from behind). "After she wandered off inta the sky, Emily met the constellation giant, Typhan, a poor geezer who'd lost his eyes to the Dream Pirates. He taught her how to use the magic of the elements, and to bond with her the same way Pitch had once done, but she refused to acknowledge Typhan as her father, and eventually he banished her. But by then, she had already learnt her magic and became one of the most powerful spirits alive: Mother Nature."

"Whoa," Rapunzel murmured in awe, the rest of the Big Four doing the same thing.

Hiccup then spoke. "Okay, if Mother Nature's his daughter, do you think he's really on this whole quest to get her to side with him? And if so, is she in any way likely to help him?"

"Good question, mate," the Easter Bunny noted. "I can't really say what Mother Nature's like. She ain't always a benevolent Sheila, an' she's very unpredictable. On the whole, I'm hopin' she ain't gonna side with Pitch, 'cos we've got enough enemies as it is. But ta be honest, I don't think Pitch would kill all these people an' take advantage of a violent Elf just for the sake of a family reunion. Whatever he's hopin' to achieve by this, the likelihood is, it's not good for the Guardians, or for anyone else."

Jack moaned softly, reaching out with one of his hands in no particular direction. Tooth closed her own soft hands around his own, looking down sadly towards him.

Liz placed a hand on Tooth's own shoulder. "You care about him, don't you?" she noted softly.

Tooth looked up at her, purple eyes meeting brown eyes. "Liz, let me tell you something about Tooth Fairies. We have a real soft spot for good teeth." She paused, to let Liz laugh faintly. "It's not always something I'm proud of. It means that first meetings can get somewhat… awkward, let's put it like that. Now, up until four years ago, I'd never even met Jack, but I'd heard a lot about him. Most of it was about his teeth…" she sighed, her eyes glazing over in nostalgia. "They gleaned like freshly-fallen snow. I fell for him a bit."

She got to her feet, walking about the plane. "But then, as I got to know him for longer, I found out that there was a lot more to him than just teeth. He was mischievous, irresponsible, a bit reckless. But he was also selfless, and daring, and willing to risk himself for his friends. He even helped the Guardians when there was only one child left in the world who believed in us. He's one of the bravest people I've ever met. And now, I realize… he's the man whom my heart lies with."

Tooth's eyes seemed to darken with formidable anger surprising for such a small person. "And if anyone tries to hurt him again, I will show them no mercy."

And Rapunzel didn't doubt that she meant it, looking into those purple eyes. She remembered how she had been back in Corona when her hair was a lot longer, when Gothel had chained her to a wall and forced her to watch her stab the princess' beloved Eugene in the flank with a dagger. Rapunzel had been so desperately enraged; she remembered every word she had shouted at Gothel in her anger.

" _I won't stop! For every second of my life, I will fight. I will never stop trying to get away from you_!"

Ultimately though, Rapunzel had been willing to go with Gothel if she would let her heal Eugene first. Eugene rid her of that dreadful promise by cutting her hair short, so that it lost its healing powers and Gothel finally met her death that she had avoided for so long. When they met again in the modern times, Gothel had once again targeted Flynn to recapture Rapunzel, and the princess had been so full of anger, that this time she very nearly did kill Gothel, if not for the intervention of Toothless. Rapunzel never underestimated the power of a desperate lover; it can drive you to do great and terrible things.

Just then, the tension was broken as Hiccup shouted to them, "Hey, guys, look down there!"

Rapunzel ran over to the plane window to look out towards the sea as Hiccup had indicated. Below, moving through the waves were long greenish-blue shapes. They had wide fins on both sides of their tails, and kept blowing water out of their nostrils each times they reached the surface, so Rapunzel thought they must be whales.

Except, unlike whales, these creatures had legs, scales, a crest of spikes down their backs, and scaled skin. And they had what looked like folded wings against their flanks.

"What are those things?" Eugene asked, completely in awe of this sight.

"Peistes," Merida replied, an eager grin on her face as she watched the huge reptiles bouncing over the waves.

"What was that?"

"Peistes!" Merida insisted. "Water dragons that live in Ireland! One time me an' Nuala were out catchin' pikes in a lake, an' one o' those big laddies came tae the surface an' spat a whole rainstorm of 'em over our heids!"

"Are they dangerous?" was Rapunzel's cautious question.

"Only if ye attack them first," was the reply. "There's a proper massive one in Loch Ness."

"Nessie's real, pay up," Abe then cheerfully said to Liz, who shook her head before emptying a few coins into his webbed hands.

Then one of the Peistes shot upwards out of the water and flapped its way with slow, leisurely wingbeats, until it was a few feet away from Stormfly. The huge dragon had short teeth and a pleated throat, like a whale. As it pulled up alongside the Deadly Nadder, it gave a deep, gargling roar almost like a seal, before then stroking Stormfly's shin with one wing and diving back into the sea.

Hiccup laughed gently. Somehow, seeing the Peiste had made him feel a lot better. It reminded him of his father's first dragon, the great Thunderdrum called Thornado. Knowing that there were still dragons in the world gave him further confidence that they'd be able to protect all the other fabulous creatures in it, along with mankind.

Shortly afterwards, the Big Four pulled in at a coastal airport. To avoid suspicion, the two dragons went on the rooftop of the building along with their riders, whilst Bunny used a rabbit hole to smuggle himself and Maximus out of the plane and into a car park. Since no-one could see Bunny, they just assumed the horse was a stray pet.

"Right, guys, we need to find a taxi," Liz said, as the rest of the group moved through the waiting room to the exit, helping Hellboy to walk just as Tooth was helping Jack. "From this point, it's important that we find the Giant's Causeway as soon as possible."

"But how are we gonna get there that quickly?" Eugene asked. "Jack's in no condition to fly anywhere, neither is Tooth while she's carrying him, and the last time I checked, these "tacks-eese" only accept lots of four people."

No sooner had he said this, than with a loud roar, a string of 5 surprisingly red taxis pulled up outside the centre. As they pulled up, the sirens went off with a funny tingling noise like jingle-bells. It was then that they noticed the drivers.

Most of these cars had the front seats occupied by gigantic furry brown creatures with impressive moustaches, like aristocratic gorillas. But the front car contained two very different men.

One of them was a very tall, muscular man wearing a red plaid jumper and black trousers. He had sharp blue eyes and a waterfall of white beard, as well as the words NAUGHTY and NICE tattooed on each forearm on the steering wheel. The second man was very small, even shorter than Tooth, and wore a gold-coloured nightgown which went nicely with his spiky golden hair. A pair of warm brown eyes gazed across the big man's shoulder towards the group.

"You vant a taxi?" the big man said in a familiar Russian accent.

And Jack recovered himself faintly in Tooth's arms to address the huge Guardian of Wonder.

"Hey, North," he said weakly.

The rest of the Big Four knew and recognized Nicholas St. North, better known as Father Christmas. He had helped them infiltrate the mausoleum in Russia where Rasputin had his hideout and foil the evil mystic's plans to rule the world. North, being Russian himself, knew the way to Moscow like the back of his tattooed forearm. Hiccup in particular knew him, since it had been North who was responsible for bringing him, Astrid and both their dragons into the modern world in the first place. Hiccup still remembered the moment when he had materialized out of thin air in front of them, that strange red-clothed white-bearded Viking of a man, on a massive sleigh pulled by caribou.

"My friends, this is his nocturnal magnificence, Sanderson Mansnoozie, Guardian of Dreams," North said. "Better known as the Sandman. Call him Sandy for short."

"Hello, Mr. Sandy," Rapunzel said, waving through the glass to the Sandman.

He waved back, a small stream of golden sand rushing from his hair to create the image of a huge waving hand.

"Don't get too surprised, Punzie," Jack replied, with a faint cough. "Sandy does that to everyone. He can't speak, so he uses sand images instead."

"What are you doing here, North?" Hiccup asked, as Toothless descended to the ground with him on his back.

North's expression became more serious. "I heard tell from Manny that two of you brave kids vere in danger," he said in a low voice, so that no-one passing by would overhear. "I could feel it. In my belly."

"That means he's serious," Bunny added, bouncing off Maximus' back to address the young Viking. "The last time North felt somethin' in his belly, it was a sign that Pitch was ready to take on the Guardians."

"And now, he is ready again," North continued grimly. "I hear he is heading to Golden Army vith Prince Nuada. This is not good news. Elf-prince is seriously bad cookie."

"You'd know all about bad cookies, wouldn't you?" Jack muttered under his breath. Hiccup struggled to maintain a serious expression. How could Jack make jokes when his very life was at risk here?

"Now, get inside cars, please," North said. "Ve have places to go and armies to defeat."

Each of the Four picked a separate car. The front car was occupied by Hellboy and Liz, the second one along for Jack and Tooth. Then Bunny and Krauss- the ectoplasmic German had a chocolate egg shoved into his lap by a generous Guardian, Eugene and Rapunzel, and finally Merida and Abe took the back car. Hiccup and Astrid stayed outside with their dragons, whilst Maximus got behind them.

"Please keep your arms inside vehicles," North called on the loudspeakers. "If you need refreshments, please ring Elf above your heads."

"What Elf?" Merida asked, immediately thinking of Nuada, only to then make out a small creature wearing a pointed red hat over its whole body attached to the ceiling of the car. Two pointed ears protruded from the sides of its hat, and it grinned and winked two mischievous brown eyes down at her.

"Oh, those kind o' Elves," Merida grunted. "The daft kind."

The Elf blew a raspberry at her.

In the front car, Liz watched as North slowly pulled away from the airport and started driving off down the road. "Well, this is a nice car, North. How does it work?"

"You like cars?" the bearded man chuckled. "I make them same lines as my sleigh. Can get us to Giant's Causevay quicker than any bus. Everyone loves the sleigh."

"I don't!" Bunny shouted from two cars behind.

North ignored this comment.

"But then, who's driving the cars behind us? Yetis?"

"Yes," North agreed nonchalantly.

"Well, won't people passing by see them driving the cars?"

North laughed. "Will people passing by see cars at all? These cars are Guardian objects. No-one can see us unless they believe in us. Besides, ve are not going to drive all vay."

He turned to the Sandman, who reached inside his gown and then produced a glass snow-globe, shaking it and then passing it to North.

North held out the snow-globe and spoke to it, "Giant's Causevay!" before throwing it out of the car and breaking it. A colourful portal opened in thin air, swirling green energy, and North cheerfully drove straight through it. For a few minutes, Liz' ears were filled with the sounds of electricity and rushing wind, and then they re-emerged, in a vast green field, not on the road by this point.

"Yes, it vorked!" North cried, as minutes later, the rest of the cars emerged behind them, forming a neat five-point arrangement on the grass. Then the exhaust pipes exploded violently.

"Ach!" North cried. "I must still fix minor calibration issues."

A few minutes later, the group had now reached a part of the field not far from the sea. The injured Hellboy and Jack were still being escorted by Liz and Tooth, whilst Maximus had stayed behind in the care of the Yetis. Following the map, they were surrounded by large, flat boulders in the grassy soil and beyond the cliffs, they made out the stone columns of the Causeway projecting into the sea.

"The Golden Army's under there, right?" Hiccup asked, pointing out at the Causeway.

"Yes, Hiccup," Abe replied, still looking at the map. "And the entrance should be right here someplace. I don't understand."

"Perhaps zere is a mistake with ze map," Dr. Krauss pointed out.

A soft groan came from Hellboy, prompting the group to look over at him. Jack looked just as bad, like he might fall over at any second.

"There _cannae_ be a mistake with th' map," Merida snarled, her own expression mixed between pain and helpless rage. "If there is, then Hellboy an' Jack will die an' we'll never find the Army."

"And then all mankind vill live in fear again," North grimly added. "Ve should spread out, look for signs of an entrance."

Bunny's ears then perked up on his head. "Yeah, I've got a better idea, mate," he said brightly. "Let's ask _him_."

Rapunzel frowned. "Who?"

Bunny pointed over at a strange figure moving slowly over the grass towards them. "Him."

"Hello there!" called the figure in what was clearly an Irish accent, slightly hoarse and old-sounding, so this was clearly a creature who'd been around for many years. He was a very peculiar-looking beast. His skin was a yellow-green colour, like a Golden Delicious apple, but stained with black grit in places, and he was small, only three feet in height, made smaller by the fact that he had no legs beneath his waist, and travelled via a wooden cart full of nets, fishes, starfishes, shellfishes, stones and old metal, with his body at the front on top of a stone ring with three revolving metal wheels like cogs beneath. A pair of metal lanterns hung on both sides of the cart, and the creature had wooden planks strapped to his hands, which had dirty nails and worsted gloves long since worn to ragged fabrics clinging to his hands like cobweb.

This creature was also very fat, with the skin on his stomach hanging down in clumsy folds. His ears were very large, though not pointed like Nuada's, and the same went for his nose. His teeth were prominent and slightly crooked, and his eyes were red with brown irises. Around his neck he wore a black thread necklace decorated with more shells, and for some reason, large crabs crept around his shoulders, purplish-black with orange legs. And to top it all off, he had three short black horns protruding from his head, two on both sides, and the longest behind, almost like the horns of a rhinoceros.

Hiccup looked at the small creature with surprise, and he must have registered it, for he returned the Viking's gaze with one of his own.

"What's the matter, lad?" he asked. "Never seen a Goblin before?"

"Trolls? Yes. Goblins… not so much," Hiccup replied.

The Goblin then turned to address the group as a whole. "I bid you welcome to Antrim, strangers. How may I be of aid to you?"

"I'll handle this, mates," Bunny quickly spoke, pushing forwards so he could then squat in front of the Goblin and make eye contact with it. Merida then shoved over to squat beside him.

" _We'll_ handle this, ye mean," she jibed at the rabbit.

Next Merida spoke in Gaelic to the Goblin. " _Dia duit, goblin. Mo chairde agus mé iarracht pasáiste sábháilte go dti an riocht na Bethmoora_ (Hello, Goblin. My friends and I seek safe passage to the kingdom of Bethmoora)."

" _Agus cad a dhéanann cúig cailíní deas mhaith tú ag iarraidh i na tailte de oíche_ (And what do five nice girls like you want in the Nightlands)?" the Goblin replied in the same tongue.

It was Bunny who spoke next. " _Táimid ag lorg Prionsa Nuada_ (We're looking for Prince Nuada)," he said in flawless Gaelic _._ " _Gortaíodh sé dhá dár gcairde_ (He injured two of our friends)."

The Goblin's eyebrows rose. " _An Prionsa Nuada? Tá a fhios agam air. Má trádáil tú dom rud éigin, Pooka, beidh mé tú a chur leis_ (The Prince Nuada? I know him. If you trade me something, Pooka, I'll take you to him)."

Bunny looked smug as he got to his feet. "Right, now we've got down to 'tacks of brass', as you'd put it, North."

"Whoa, Bunny, where did you learn to speak Gaelic like that?" Eugene asked, always the one in awe. "And what's he saying?"

"Well, you see, mate," Bunny replied. "I'm not just a bunny. I'm a Pooka, a warrior rabbit. I was born in Australia, but my ancestors lived in Ireland like this Goblin bloke. So I learned Gaelic as a second language. Comes in pretty handy, as you can see. As to what he's sayin', he knows where Nuada is, an' he'll take us there if we trade somethin' with him."

"Business-minded creature, is Goblin," North murmured to Hiccup. "I like him."

"Well, if you want a trade, I've got a shiny belt," Liz said to the Goblin.

Astrid elbowed her slightly. "You can't give him a belt, Liz."

"Why not?"

"Perhaps because he doesn't have trousers to go with it," Hiccup sarcastically replied, pointing out the Goblin's lack of legs.

"We've got an antique frying pan," Rapunzel offered next.

"What would I need a frying pan for, lass?" the Goblin asked. "If I get hungry, all I have to do is eat one of these boys up here." He indicated the crabs on his shoulders.

"Bit gross," Eugene murmured to Pascal, who nodded.

"I tell you what, though," the Goblin added, pointing to Hellboy's wound with one finger. "I see something special and shiny underneath those bandages. Spearhead, right?"

"Aye," Merida agreed, not sure she liked where he was going with this.

"Well, I want that spearhead," the Goblin asked, grinning a bit disturbingly.

"No, you can't have that," Liz replied.

The Goblin turned and peddled himself over to Jack. "Nasty wound there, white-haired lad. Did the spear do that to him as well?"

"Yes, it did," Merida agreed. "We cannae heal it, and ye cannae remove the spearhead in Hellboy's wound. No' without killin' him."

The Goblin's eyes brightened at this point. "I think I know someone who can. And someone else who can get your white-haired friend's wound seen to as well." He scuttled over to Merida, then stretched out his hand. "If my friends can remove the spearhead from the big red lad, and heal the Guardian, will you trade me the spearhead then?"

Merida shook the Goblin's hand; it was rough and gritty like the skin of a shark, and calloused and hardened, probably by years of working at the blacksmith's forge, if he was one of the Bethmoora Goblins who helped build the Golden Army. "Aye, we'll give ye yer shiny toy, Goblin lad. Now, how can ye take us to Nuada?"

"Like this," the Goblin replied. He then reached to his neck and produced a small white whistle, then blew into it twice. It made a feeble tweeting noise like a bird, then he lowered it again.

"That's a little underwhelming," Eugene whispered to Rapunzel.

"Agent Fitzherbert-sorry, Prince Fitzherbert- could I please ask you to stop talking?" Krauss whispered back at him. And then a terrific rumbling noise began.

Hiccup looked over just in time to see a massive boulder slowly rising upwards off the ground. It had a series of grooves in its surface, almost like fingers, and then the young Viking made out a second boulder rising on the other side of him, and a third from a longer distance off.

As the boulders moved upwards, the ground began to split open and collapse in great pieces of grass and earth, and it was then that Hiccup realized that the two boulders on both sides were massive clenched fists attached to long arms, and the third boulder was a head, worn down to a pinnacle shape, but with vestiges of an eye, a nose and a mouth visible. In fact, the arrangement of boulders which came rising out of the ground before them was very clearly a massive body made of stone, parts twisting and swivelling as it heaved itself upwards onto its haunches. A stone giant for a Giant's Causeway.

With a final grinding creak, the stone giant finally stopped rising out of the ground and stood, a light sprinkling of soil falling off its limbs as the Big Four and Guardians gazed at it in awe. Toothless' mouth dropped open, exposing his retracted teeth, whilst the Sandman created a screaming head from sand in his surprise.

"I want one of those," Bunny said numbly.

"Hey, Goblin," Hiccup asked, as soon as he had relaxed enough to look away from the stone giant. "Is that the giant responsible for building the Causeway?"

"Him? No," the legless mythical creature responded simply. "He's just a sculpture. A doorway."

And right on time, a massive blockage of stone plates slowly slid open in the giant's stomach, exposing a dark, narrow cave entrance.

"Well, I guess that's our way in," Rapunzel said, and she and Eugene slowly walked towards the giant and inside it.

"Keep going! Keep going!" the goblin called sharply, and the rest of the group slowly went inside after them.

Once within, the stone doors closed behind them, almost as though they were "motion sensors". The cave was dark and dusty and full of cobwebs. Blackened skeletons littered the floor, and the ceiling arched above their heads. To provide a little more light, Rapunzel started humming the healing incantation until her hair glowed, and Toothless and Stormfly released a small gust of fire inside their throats, holding it there to light the way ahead.

They stood before a precipice, overlooking many buildings layered on separate ledges inside the cavern, dark and lifeless. There was no sound except the crunch of the stone beneath their feet.

"Vladivostok," North murmured incredulously, gazing around the ancient ruins of the great, dead city. "This is Bethmoora."

"Shocking, isn't it?" the Goblin remarked dryly. "You should have seen the city when it was alive."

"What happened to it?" Rapunzel whispered in shock, her hair extinguishing its glow as she stopped singing.

"A curse," was the low-voice reply. "As soon as our friends the Formorians placed the Golden Army here, a plague of silence and death befell us, and the world left us behind. It was as though the gods themselves were expressing shock that such monsters had ever been created. For a long time, I alone dwelt in the dust, while the rest of Bethmoora moved across the seas."

"In the great Ireland-America migration," Liz murmured quietly.

A sharp groan of pain came, this time from Jack. The Winter Spirit looked terrible. His hair, which had used to gleam like freshly-fallen snow, now seemed dull and ashen, and his magic staff didn't look as impressive or powerful as it once had. Hiccup was seriously worried.

"North," he asked quietly, guiding the big man over to a more private corner, "have any of the Guardians ever died before?"

North nodded solemnly. "Ve Guardians are powerful spirits, Hiccup. Ve can survive forces vhich could kill any other man; blasts of lightning, raging rivers, fire; but even ve are not invincible. Earliest Guardian's death I have known of is Nightlight, Guardian of Light. He is one who first imprisoned Pitch under ground, only able to resurface beneath children's beds. But that kind of magic takes energy, and in Nightlight's case, it took his life. He vas first Guardian to be killed… and then, eight years ago, Pitch Black killed Sandy."

Hiccup looked over in shock at the golden Guardian, who visibly shuddered, as though overhearing the remark.

"Pitch killed him?" Hiccup asked incredulously. "How?"

"He cornered Jack and Sandy vith Nightmares," the white-bearded man replied gravely. "Sandman can turn Nightmare sand back into Dreamsand just by touch, but there vas too much of it around. Pitch shot him in back vith arrow vhile he fight… then Nightmares consume him."

Hiccup frowned. "But if Pitch killed Sandman, then how is he alive now?"

"Jack," North proudly replied. "He helped only remaining child to believe in us Guardians vhen Pitch seized power vorldvide. Vith their believe, he vas strong enough to bring Sandy back to life. Then Pitch vas pulled back underground by his own Nightmares. Vith no-one else's fear to feed on, they turned on him."

Hiccup gritted his teeth. "We're not letting anyone die here, North. No matter what happens, we get out of here alive."

They finally entered a lighter region, illuminated by torches a dull yellowish-brown. Before them stood two huge red stone columns bestrewn with roots, between which were two massive doors.

"Right, then," the Goblin said nonchalantly. "This is where my friend is. I don't know where the other ones are, but they should be along any minute."

A growl from behind prompted Hiccup to turn and face a dark pool of water opposite the stone walkway behind them. Lying in the water was an exceptionally large, savage otter with dirty black fur and curved teeth like a bear.

"Is that a…?" Eugene asked.

"Dobharchu? Yes, it is." The Goblin replied. "You needn't worry, though, boy, it's tame. You just have to remember to feed it."

So speaking, he reached behind him into his fish baskets, and produced a fully-grown pike, then threw it at the giant otter. The Dobharchu grabbed the fish, then dived back under water again.

The Goblin next spoke. "Right, black-haired girl and feather-haired girl(he was clearly referring to Liz and Tooth). Bring your boyfriends in here. The rest of you Guardians go in as well. Everyone else, stay outside, and don't come in until I tell you."

As the doors leaned open, Liz and Hellboy went in first, followed by Jack and Tooth. North, Sandy and Bunny walked slowly after them, and Hiccup watched as the doors slowly creaked shut.

A few seconds later, Hiccup then asked, "So…what are we gonna do now?"

Toothless perked up, then bounced over to the Dobharchu's pool. As soon as the big otter rushed to the surface, Toothless looked at it sharply. The Dobharchu closed its orange eyes and then made out a loud sneezing noise, followed by half a pike falling out of its mouth. The dragon promptly ate it, then grinned gummily at his new-found friend.

Inside the chamber of red stone, Bunny took a moment to gaze at the scenery. The columns around the wide chamber were engraved with strange Middle-Eastern-type emblems, and on many shelves against the back wall, candles stood. The floor itself was covered with a layer of dust, and central to it all was a massive figure, 9 feet tall, with a veil draped over its head. Folded behind it were two black feathered wings, folded and not in use. The giant figure held a long wooden pole in its hands like a pool cue, with which it pushed wooden figures across the floor, like a military officer mapping out tactical points.

"Hello, old friend!" the Goblin called cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to the expression of discomfort many of the Guardians adopted upon seeing the huge figure. "How are you? I've brought you some visitors, many of whom you've not seen for quite some time. And I hope you're ready to grant me a favour."

"I owe no favour to you, Goblin," the hooded figure rasped in a demonic voice which seemed to contain both a man's voice and a woman's voice, but both speaking in a monstrous hiss. "Leave me to my work while I am still lenient."

"But, my friend," the Goblin persisted. "Haven't I done so much to help you and your masters? I've brought you lots of souvenirs(Bunny was feeling less and less comfortable by the minute). And also," he added eagerly. "The big red one- the one without the white beard(North grunted in relief)- he has a shiny thing stuck in him. Something I must have."

And then, with a thud, Hellboy wavered in Liz' arms- "Red?"- and fell to the floor in front of Liz. Jack fell to the ground a few minutes later, his staff dropping from his hands.

"RED!" Liz cried, rushing over to tend to her boyfriend, whilst Tooth fluttered over to try and help Jack up again. But at this point, the hooded figure noticed them for the first time, and it gasped in surprise.

"Anung un Rama," it hissed, slowly getting to its feet to stand at its full height. "And Jackson Overland Frost."

Tooth looked up at the hooded figure in surprise. "You know their names?"

"And I know yours, Princess Toothiana of Punjam Hy Loo," the creature replied, with an unpleasant chuckle. "So too do I know you, Elizabeth Sherman; Sanderson Mansnoozie; Ernest Aster Bunnymund; and Nicholas St. North. At last you have come to me."

The hooded figure then lifted back its veil, revealing itself in its full glory. It wore long, flowing dirty red robes that spilled behind it like a disused curtain, and above the waist it wore flowing sleeves over cold white arms with claw-like fingers. Its chest wore what looked like a breastplate carved in the style of a ribcage, and its face was most noticeable of all these features.

For its neck was thin, with pronounced bones and veins, and the skin on its face was taut and white, its lips pulled back to reveal its yellow teeth, and its nose was just two thin and empty sockets like the nostrils of a skeleton. Its hair was thick and black, like Gothel's, and it had no eyes, just a curved white crest of bone like an axe-head. Its eyes were along the edges of its wings, pale yellow like bleached fishes. It was an Angel of death.

"I have been waiting for these two to come before me for many winter moons," the Angel continued, in a voice which was ironically even more demonic than Hellboy's. "I am the Angel of their deaths, and at each crossroads, I will be there to meet them."

"Yes, yes, all very lovely, but when can I have that which is mine?" the Goblin whined, at which point Bunny realized that the Goblin wasn't evil; he was just greedy.

"They were injured by Prince Nuada," Liz spoke aloud to the Angel. "Can you save their lives?"

"It is up to you to decide that, my dear," the Angel replied. "Whether they live or die makes little difference to me, for my heart is full of dust and sand." To prove it, he(or she) reached beneath its ribcage to pick out a small amount of soil which it scattered to the floor.

"The Guardian I take no strong exception to, for he is no threat to me, but you must know, Elizabeth Sherman, that the demon's destiny is to enslave mankind to the forces of evil. Perhaps not now, but someday soon. Do you still want him to live, knowing this?"

With a sweep of its hand, the Angel cleared a vast tract of dust from the floor, revealing a threatening image. A great red demon, with no clothes and burning horns, stood before a group of wailing humans chained before an even greater, sneering black demon, holding a three-tongued whip. Bunny grimaced visibly; he hadn't personally attended the battle of Moscow, but he had heard enough about it from North. He knew that Rasputin had manipulated Hellboy into reawakening his buried power through speaking his true name, Anung un Rama. Under a dangerous trance, Hellboy had nearly released the Ogdru Jahad, the enforcers of evil, but ultimately, the actions of a few noble humans had broken the spell upon him; Hellboy had broken his horns, rejected his power, and thus re-imprisoned the Ogdru Jahad, and killed Rasputin and the vile Behemoth that had been possessing the evil sorcerer's body. Even though it had been a victory for the forces of good, it still troubled North to think that someone so good could have fallen so far into evil. But could there still be hope for him?

"Are you so sure you know what Hellboy's destiny is, Azrael?"

The voice which spoke was female, but it was not Liz or Tooth who said those words. The accent was sultry, soft and Spanish. And then, Bunny felt every hair on his body vibrate, as though someone extremely powerful was about to appear before them.

And as the Angel of death slowly turned around, two tall, slender, black-haired women were standing in the chamber behind him, where previously there had been none. One of the women wore a red dress, done up around the waist with a belt of marigolds, and her face had make-up like a human skull, not the gruesome kind like the Angel's face, but like the sweet, sugar skulls eaten at the Day of the Dead festival. She had long eyelashes over yellow-red eyes, and turquoise eye-shadow, and a massive sombrero covered her head, bright red and decorated with small skulls, palm leaves, candles, more marigolds, and a small brown book. She looked like a beautiful party skeleton.

The second woman wore a flowing cape that appeared to have been made from clouds, while her dress bore the texture of ferns and leaves in the shape of her sleeves, and her collar. Around her legs, she wore a pair of trousers, deep brown and shaped as though she had convinced massive tree-roots to entwine themselves around her. And unlike the first woman, who had her hair slightly ponytailed behind her, this woman let her hair loose around her shoulders, so it almost blew like the wind. In one hand, she held a staff like Jack's, tipped with a perfect gemstone the same green as her deep, powerful eyes.

"My lady," the Angel(or Azrael, as he shall now be known) said apologetically, which was almost funny due to his monstrous voice. "I did not expect you to arrive so soon."

"At ease, my faithful servant," the sombrero woman replied, in the same Spanish accented-voice that had first spoken.

Liz looked up in surprise at the two women. "Wait… who are you?" she asked, confused understandably.

The sombrero woman bowed her head graciously to Liz. "A pleasure to meet you, Liz Sherman," she said. "I am La Muerte, ruler of the Land of the Remembered. You may know my festival, the Day of the Dead, held every October in Mexico."

Liz frowned. "Are you another Guardian?" she asked.

La Muerte laughed gently. "A Guardian? No. _mi hija_ (my daughter). I am a god, a deity, higher in power than a spirit like a Guardian, yet gods and Guardians are both allies in the fight against chaos. My husband, Xibalba, is the ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, the old half of the Mexican underworld. We have heard a lot about you from within there."

"And I am Emily Jane Pitchiner," the cloud-caped woman added, her own voice gentle as the breeze upon the trees. "But the name I go by now is that of Mother Nature."

"And you _are_ one of the Guardians, right?" Liz guessed, slowly in case she got it wrong.

Mother Nature shook her head, though the reference did not upset her. "I am many things, child, but I am not a Guardian. For they only protect children. _I_ protect the whole of nature."

"And that, my lady," Azrael spoke, "is why you should not allow this demon to live."

"You have no evidence for that, Azrael," La Muerte replied to the Angel's statement with a graceful toss of her head, like that of an impatient mother correcting her child.

"No evidence? Have you not seen his actions four years ago?" Azrael now sounded less intimidating, more like a protester defending himself from accusations.

"His past affects nothing in his present," the goddess sharply cut him off.

"Your husband would agree with this counsel."

"Not anymore, he wouldn't. Now hush!" La Muerte raised one hand, and the Angel lowered his head apologetically.

The goddess now walked past him, and reached up onto her hat to remove the brown book that sat there. She slowly opened the pages, which began turning rapidly, until they settled on two open pages.

"Is that what I think it is?" Bunny murmured, walking over to gaze inside the tome.

La Muerte nodded. "You guess correctly, Bunnymund. This is the Book of Life(she explained this for the benefit of Liz, who didn't know what the book was), a collection of all the greatest stories in the world. The world's best-known heroes each have their place within these books; Hercules, Aladdin, Mulan… and you, Liz. And your friends, the Big Four, they're in it as well."

"Then whose story are we looking at now?" Liz asked, gently moving Hellboy over until he could touch the book with his drooping fingers.

"His," La Muerte replied, indicating the unconscious hero demon. And sure enough, the emblem of Hellboy's head appeared at the top of the page, as, almost as though painted by an invisible brush, moving images appeared in the Book; Hellboy's battle with Sammael, his bonding with the Big Four, all the way up until he lay unconscious before La Muerte.

The goddess continued, "It is true, Azrael, Hellboy's original destiny was to release the Ogdru Jahad so they might take over mankind. But from the moment that he was first called into the world of men, his story was changed, his fate was rewritten. Now he became the protector of mankind, against all who would seek to threaten them. And in so doing, he has become the writer of his own story."

Bunny began to smile.

"For you see, thanks to your friend Professor Bruttenholm, Hellboy learned of selflessness and compassion. He learned that just because he looks like a monster, it does not mean he is one. And when he met the Four and their friends, he has only become an even better man. It may have been your friend who reminded him who he was, but Hellboy made the choice to reject his evil power. And I have little doubt that he can do so again."

"But is it true?" Azrael asked, the eyes on his wings widening with surprise. "Can a person's fate be changed?"

" _Si,_ it is true," La Muerte agreed. "Liz' friends, the Big Four, they are proof of that. Jack changed his fate when he gained his first ever believer. Merida changed hers when she broke tradition and reconciled with her mother."

 _And turned her into a bear as well,_ Bunny thought jokily, his mood improved greatly by this conversation.

"And as for Rapunzel and Hiccup? She saved the life of a charming thief, and he made peace between Vikings and dragons. They wrote their own stories, and made their fates better."

She now pointed to Hellboy, lying on his flank with the spearhead embedded in his ribs. "That is why he must live, Azrael. For the good of all mankind, and for his love's own good…"

She sternly finished, "Take… the spear…out."

Azrael humbly nodded his white, eyeless head, then turned to Liz. "I…am convinced, child. I will save the life of Anung…Hellboy. But promise me this; never let him turn to evil. Do you agree to this?"

"I do," Liz said. "Now save him."

Azrael smiled, then slowly turned his hand outwards, revealing a familiar diamond-shaped piece of silver within his grip. "I already have, dearest Liz."

Liz gasped and looked over at Hellboy's wound. He no longer had the protruding shape of the spearhead underneath his bandages, and his expression no longer looked as pained as it had a few minutes earlier.

Tooth looked up as well. "And what of you?" she asked Mother Nature. "Won't you help heal Jack?"

Mother Nature lowered her head graciously. "No, Toothiana. I have sworn never to help either the Guardians or Pitch in their battles. I do not help Pitch because I do not share his views of mankind, but he is my father for better or worse, and therefore I cannot act against him. But there are other nature elementals who can."

She pointed with her staff behind her, into a dark corner of the chamber, and something with glowing green eyes lumbered forwards out of the shadows. It was the same Forest God the Four had fought against two days prior to Hellboy and Jack getting stabbed. But this time it looked less savage, more human. It even looked humble in its wooden face, as it looked down upon the injured Guardian.

" _I sensed your pain, bringer of winter,_ " the Forest God rumbled in his resonant, tree-like voice, as he walked slowly towards Jack on his root-like limbs. " _I know what the rider of Nightmares is planning, and I will not let him do this. You and your friends saved my life. Now let me return the favour._ "

And the huge woodland creature lifted one of his hands to his mouth and bit it, drawing sticky green blood. He then held his arm out and coiled it like the limb of an octopus, before allowing the blood to drip onto Jack's wound and seep into his bandages. Slowly, Jack's wound began to close and shrink, the blood retreating back into the skin, until the wound had finally closed, and Jack's skin looked as though it had never been stabbed at all. His hair brightened up again, and his staff glowed with icy-white energy, a gentle winter breeze swirling around both his body and Tooth.

La Muerte then leaned down towards Liz and Tooth. "Listen to me, _mi_ _hijas._ If this healing is to be really effective, then you need to give your boyfriends a reason to live. Do you think you could do that?"

Liz and Tooth nodded dumbly. As they did, Azrael slowly moved backwards, grinning as he stroked Nuada's spearhead like a soft toy. The Goblin blacksmith began protesting loudly.

"Hey, my friend, what about giving me that which is mine?" he called over to the Angel of death. "Please don't forget about me! What about me? My friend?" And then, all of a sudden, Azrael slowly disappeared into thin air, and the spearhead dropped out of his hands and to the ground. The Goblin quickly peddled over and picked it up with his grubby little fingers.

"Ooh, shiny!" he crooned softly, admiring his new metal trinket. Behind him. Mother Nature raised her staff and disappeared in a cloud of leaves, while the Forest God simply started digging his way back underground, just like he had done in New York. Now the only entity still in the chamber was La Muerte, watching patiently with eager eyes.

Liz gently pressed her mouth down to Hellboy's ear, tenderly grasping his hands. "Come on, big guy," she whispered, her voice a bit choked with stress and tired emotion finally giving way for her. "You need to get up… you're gonna be a father."

And she kissed his head delicately. No sooner had Liz done so, than Hellboy's eyes fluttered open, and he had an utterly bewildered look on his face.

"I'm gonna be… a father?" he croaked, before slowly getting back to his feet, so that he stood level with Liz by this point.

Liz nodded in tearful relief. "That's why I was so mad at you before, Red. I'm sorry, I should have told you earlier, but everything got so messed up…"

"Ssshhh…" the heroic demon embraced his girlfriend to his chest. "I understand, Liz. You were just doing what any mother-to-be would do. It's alright now."

And they placed their heads together. Meanwhile, Tooth leaned over Jack, taking hold of his face between two hands.

"Get up, Jack," the Tooth Fairy softly spoke into the winter spirit's ear. "The Four needs you to lead us… and I need to tell you how I feel towards you."

And out of nowhere, gentle, gracious music like gusts of rich Celtic air began filling the chamber; Hellboy and Liz looked over at La Muerte, who raised her hands in a "don't-look-at-me" way.

And Toothiana began to sing, in a rich, sweet voice, as Jack began to stir within her arms.

" _All these years sending Fairies through windows,_

 _All these years outside looking in,_

 _All this time, never even knowing_

 _Just how blind I've been._

 _Now we're here, glowing in the firelight;_

 _Now we're here, suddenly I see,_

 _Standing here, it's finally clear,_

 _that you're the one for me._ "

Tooth then lifted Jack's head upwards off the ground, and her mini-Fairies swirled around her head in neat arcs as she reached the chorus of her song.

" _And at last I see the light!_

 _And it's like the fog has lifted,_

 _And at last I see the light!_

 _In your eyes so warm and blue._

 _And it's warm and real and bright,_

 _And the world has somehow shifted;_

 _All at once everything's so much better,_

 _Now that I see you._ "

Out of nowhere, Tooth pulled Jack's head upwards and opened her mouth; the two Guardian's lips closed on one another in a passionate embrace.(Ker-ching! Get in there, Frosbite fans!) Liz was in such awe of the spectacle that her head suddenly caught fire, where upon Hellboy started trying to blow it out.

Then they heard a faint murmuring noise, and Jack slowly moved his head and limbs of his own accord.

"Tooth…Tooth..." Jack murmured. His blue eyes flickered open and took in the beautiful sight in front of him.

"What is it, Jack?" Tooth whispered, looking deeply at him.

"It's your mouth," Jack began faintly. "It smells of toothpaste."

He chuckled faintly, and Tooth gave a shrill cry of joy and promptly swirled off the ground, with Jack wrapped within her arms. They began to fly around the chamber in flashes of green and blue, whilst Jack himself began to sing now, in a voice just as rich and brilliant as the Tooth Fairy's.

" _All these years, making snow for children,_

 _All these years longing to be seen,_

 _All these years never truly seeing,_

 _That I had a new dream._

 _Now you're here, glittering like daylight,_

 _Now you're here, suddenly I know,_

 _Your hand in mine, side by side,_

 _It always will be so._ "

They were both singing now, for the finale piece.

Jack and Tooth: " _And at last, I see the light!_

Jack: _And it's like the fog has lifted._

Jack and Tooth: _And at last I see the light!_

Tooth: _In your eyes so warm and blue._

Jack and Tooth: _And it's warm and real and bright,_

 _And the world somehow has shifted._

 _All at once, everything's so much better,_

 _Now that I see you_."

And Jack pulled Tooth into another passionate kiss, swirling neatly through the air before descending to the ground in a flourish. Hellboy and Liz cheered as the song finished; their friends had finally admitted their feeling towards one another, and La Muerte was smiling tenderly over their shoulders.

The Goblin, as usual, interrupted with a loud cough. "Uh, sorry to interrupt this beautiful moment, but I think _everyone else can come in now_."

He shouted this through the doors, whereupon they creaked open to allow in the rest of the Four, Eugene, Astrid, and the dragons. Toothless immediately bounded over to Hellboy and threw himself onto him with a roar of joy.

Hellboy laughed and tried to remove the dragon from his body. "Ah, come on buddy," he said through a mouthful of Night Fury licking. "I just had a cursed spearhead pulled out of my ribs. Show a little concern."

Then as soon as Toothless let go of Hellboy, the whole Big Four ran over to wrap their arms around him; tears were shed, giddy laughs were exchanged, and Merida and Astrid thoroughly thumped Hellboy around the shoulders.

"YE THOUGHTLESS! ARROGANT! STUBBORN! BIG-HEARTED DEMON!" the Scottish princess shrieked at him as she clung to his neck. "Dinnae ever do that tae us again, Red, ye great fool!"

"Good to see you as well, Ginger," Jack called over to them, and immediately he was swept to the floor under a mass of bodies.

"We missed you, Jack!" Hiccup cried, ruffling his friend's white hair.

"Good to see you back up and running!"

"Ok, let's stop crowding him!" Astrid shouted, pushing her friends back off the winter spirit.

"Yeah, don't crowd a father-to-be," Hellboy added.

" _Or_ my boyfriend," Tooth pointed out.

Rapunzel's mouth became just as wide as her eyes. "A fa…Liz, did you tell Red you're pregnant?"

"I did!" Liz agreed in a wide grin. She was then engulfed in Rapunzel's arms.

"An' boyfrie- have ye finally confessed it, Snowcap?" Merida shouted to Jack.

The Guardian was only able to nod and give a quick, "yeah, we kissed!" before Merida got hold of him by his head and shook him like a piñata.

"I knew ye had it in ye, White-head!" the Scottish princess cried.

"HE SNOGGED THE TOOTH FAIRY!" Astrid screamed proudly. "JACK FROST SNOGGED THE TOOTH FAIRY!"

"AND THEY BOTH STOLE THAT SONG ME AND BLONDIE DID!" Eugene shouted, trying to shove past Hiccup to get at Jack, though there was no seriousness in his anger.

North took his hat off and threw it in the air, whilst Bunny slapped Sandman in the back from behind. Sandman, a bit miffed, created a large cricket bat made of Dreamsand and slapped Bunny right back, knocking him over. Toothless and Stormfly just made loud, celebratory screeches.

"OK, SORRY TO INTERRUPT YET AGAIN!" the Goblin shouted to catch everyone's attention. "I'm well aware this is meant to be a happy reunion, but if you all want to meet Nuada, then we need to get going."

Hellboy quickly stopped cheering and stripped off his bandages, revealing no evidence that Nuada had ever stabbed him in the first place. "I'm ready," he said seriously.

Jack removed his own bandages with equal speed. "So am I," he added, whilst Tooth fluttered over to coil her arms around his shoulder.

La Muerte raised her head sharply. "Oh, yes…the Elven prince. Which reminds me, children… I need to give you some advice before you must face Nuada."

The Big Four and friends stood ready.

"Vhat is your advice, Queen of the Marigolds?" North asked, leaning on the hilt of one of his swords.

La Muerte smiled at this, then continued. "What I said earlier, about you heroes changing fate, it was true, all of it. If you are successful in the coming battle, you may be able to change more than just one fate. And that, _mis hijos_ (my children), is why I shall teach an important song to you."

"A song?" Merida asked, quite surprised.

" _Si,_ Merida," the goddess agreed. "A song passed down through generations, and which retains its moral meaning even after so many years since it was last sung. The first person to sing it was a human boy, a special boy…" she smiled reminiscently. "A young man called Manolo Sanchez, pressured to be a bullfighter when he secretly wished to be a musician and play from the heart. He first sung the song when he was sent to my kingdom through some meddling of my husband's doing(she bared her teeth at this unpleasant memory), and in order to regain his life, he had to tame a monstrous beast through the use of this song. It changed his fate, and the fate of the woman he loved. And now… I will teach it to you, so that it may change yours."

La Muerte extended a single hand and blew gently down it. As she did, a cloud of marigolds began to swirl around first her body, then with a sweep of her hand, it blew around the assembled group of heroes( the Goblin bounced on his wagon, trying in vain to fill his hands with petals, only to fall short due to his legless nature). Bunny slowly closed his eyes, as the petals swept around him.

He did not hear La Muerte speak a single word, but in his mind, images flashed- an arena of purple stone, ringed by fire and filled with sand; a massive audience of skeleton people and three gods gathered to watch; and one young, handsome skeleton with curled black hair strumming a guitar and facing a gigantic bull made of bones, its eyes burning red with anger, its teeth bared in a display of fury; but as the silent music reached a crescendo, the bull sunk to its knees before the man, its body slowly crumbling into marigold petals that floated off on the wind. And Bunny knew instinctively what this song was about: apology and forgiveness.

And then he opened his eyes again, and Bunny immediately knew what he had to do.

"Be brave, heroes," La Muerte called to them, as she began to disappear into a cloud of her own flowers. "You must not let the Golden Army win… you must defeat the King of Nightmares…"

And with that, she was gone.

The heroes walked slowly down a metal causeway leading towards a huge domed chamber. On both sides of the causeway, huge gold round shapes sat, held in place by chains and screws. The air smelt of salt and stone, and judging by the height of the ceiling, they were well under the Causeway by now. Around the floor of the huge cavern were old blacksmith's furnaces and metal anvils. They looked harmless enough, but upon close inspection, one could make out Celtic swirl patterns and round gears inserted into their upper torsos. Merida bared her teeth upon looking at the huge shapes.

"Here we are," the Goblin said, coming to an abrupt halt. He then added in a displeased tone, "And there _they_ are. Seventy times seventy soldiers. Very easy to build, very hard to destroy. Only built as weapons."

"Th' Golden Army," Merida hissed. And as she spoke, she could have sworn an icy hiss echoed through the cavern. Toothless snarled at one of the massive robots. Hiccup, whilst stroking the Night Fury, admired the huge folded-up automaton.

"These are some impressive pieces of work, bud," he said to the Goblin.

The Goblin scoffed. "Not to me they aren't. Sometimes I wish my people had never created those monsters. Whoosh went the fire! Bim bam went the hammers! Half the Goblins died from the sheer force of building the Golden Army. Many of us suffered worse. See that big furnace over there? I slipped while delivering parts to one of the soldiers, right onto the lip of the furnace. And the fire burned off both my legs."

"That sounds similar to how I got this," Hiccup said, indicating his peg leg. "Perhaps you could create something like that?"

"Good suggestion, laddie," the Goblin agreed. By this point, they had now reached a tall staircase leading up into the domed chamber.

"There you are," the Goblin said. "The main power centre, where we control the Army from. This is where we must split up, heroes. I can't really go up staircases. Not with this cart." He then called to Merida. "You there, red-haired girl. Your name wouldn't be Merida, by any chance? The princess of Dunbroch?"

"Aye," Merida agreed, no longer surprised so many mythical people knew her.

"I know you and the royal house of Bethmoora have old family ties, lass," the Goblin continued. "But if you're here to stop Nuada, then I wish you all the luck I can muster. Remember this; do not let the Golden Army reawaken. Undo what we did."

" _Go raibh maith agat_ (thank you)," Merida said to him, holding out her hand in a traditional Celtic blessing. The Goblin held out his own hand to return it. As the heroes reached the foot of the staircase, Hiccup then stepped to the front and stood before them, Toothless alongside him.

"Ok, before we go in there, I've got a few things to say," he spoke aloud. "Now, I'm not that good at addressing the public. Making speeches and running villages, that's more my dad's thing."

A few laughs.

"But I just want you guys to know," Hiccup continued, "five years ago, I never thought I'd be doing things like this. I never thought I'd befriend a grumpy demon(Hellboy stuck his tongue out at him), or that I'd ever meet a woman who can shoot fire from her hands like a dragon shoots fire from his mouth."

"And that's not all dragons shoot from their mouths!" Jack interrupted, prompting more laughs to erupt from the group.

"Ah, go back to snogging yer teeth-sorry, Tooth, Frosbite!" Bunny shouted at him.

Hiccup grinned before continuing his speech. "Most of all, I never thought Vikings would be fighting alongside Scots, or that Trolls didn't really steal socks, or even that a winter spirit and a tooth fairy could fall in love(Jack and Tooth smiled up at him, surrounded by a group of mini-Fairies now looking at Jack as though he were their father). But I say now, maybe this shows that we can achieve the impossible. We stopped an ancient evil from enslaving mankind, we killed an indestructible Hellhound, we took down a Troll, we saved the life of a Forest God and our two greatest friends. And now we're up against a vindictive Elf and a nightmare spirit and an unstoppable robot army. And I'm not backing down from this challenge! So, here's a quick question: who's up for doing something stupid?"

"I thought ve just did something stupid," Krauss pointed out from where he stood.

Hiccup grinned manically. "Well, then…who's up for doing something CRAZY?!"

And a defiant cry of "YEAH!" came in reply, echoing through the whole chamber. Hiccup then turned his gaze towards the tall building ahead of them. "Let's go take down an Army."

 **There you are, fans! Yet another new update to the ROBTD Hellboy series! Incidentally, background information on Pitch and the Guardians is from the Guardians of Childhood book series(same goes for Mother Nature), whilst La Muerte and her backstory are from The Book of Life. I don't own any of these characters, only what I'm doing with them. And next chapter comes the great battle we're all waiting to see…the Big Four versus the Golden Army! Stay tuned!**

 **Sammael29**

 **P.S. (in order to put more work into this story, I will be putting a hold on the Warriors until the Golden Army is completed. Hope you're not too disappointed)**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 10: An Army and an Apology

As the heroes walked inside the Golden Army control room, all of them kept their senses sharpened to a pitch(no, not that kind of Pitch). Any of the gang who had a weapon available produced it: Dr. Krauss didn't have any weapons, but then he didn't really need them; Pascal, Toothless and Stormfly already had their own natural weapons; as for Tooth, she simply reached into a knapsack she'd somehow tied to her hip at some point back in the BPRD headquarters, producing two long, straight swords, with white hilts like teeth and blades that reminded Jack of her mini-Fairies' beaks. Sandy blew into his hands, creating a growing ball of Dreamsand which then changed shape and turned into a brilliant golden whip; he cracked it determinedly.

Eugene frowned at this. "Hey, not to sound sceptical, but won't that whip crumble into pieces if it hits something, being made of sand?"

"Dreamsand is not like normal sand, Eugene," North replied. "It is lot harder and lot stronger. Only way Dreamsand things can be damaged is through Nightmare sand."

Sandy visibly grimaced at this point.

"Well, let's keep an eye out for any Nightmare sand, then," Jack muttered, whilst keeping a tight grip on his staff.

The control room was a gold colour, much like the Army themselves, but this colour was more like the cold yellow of Pitch's eyes than Rapunzel's own golden locks. There was a chill in the air, which Jack attributed to the building being built underground next to the sea. And before them stood a tall platform of massive cogs and gears, which were clearly for activating the Army.

"Ah, you're here," a familiar English voice spoke. And from a doorway behind the platform of cogs, two familiar-looking Elves appeared.

Nuada had changed his clothes since the last time the group had seen him. As opposed to his normal black tunic, he now wore one which was faint yellow, with combed wool trim covering the chest and two long flaps over the shoulders. His sleeves were of the same colour, but with faint hints of gold, and he wore a long lower half to his coat, and on top of his head, he wore the gold strip formed by the other Crown Pieces. Beneath it, he wore the same black trousers, and his red sash belt with the Bethmoora emblem upon it, but overall, his appearance seemed more…regal, as it were.

Nuala was dressed in matching colours, with her metal sash emblem and red colouring the lower half of her skirt. In spite of the danger they were now in, Merida couldn't help but admire how good her friend looked.

Nuada, however, was looking quizzically at Hellboy and Jack.

"Curious," he murmured. "I thought that my spearhead would have killed you by now… but you two have an uncanny knack for survival, my friends."

"An' _you've_ got an uncanny knack for bein' an overconfident drongo, mate," Bunny replied sourly under his breath. Nuada ignored this jibe.

"Hey, your royal Annoyingness," Hellboy called up to him. "Where's Mr. Tall, Dark and Scary?"

Nuada looked back at him. "Pitch is…elsewhere. We parted company shortly after I left your BPRD building with Nuala. He said he had to "get in touch with a few friends", as he put it." His golden eyes narrowed. "But Pitch is the least of your worries right now. Since you're all here, I'm assuming that you brought the remaining crown piece."

"No, ve didn't, to be honest," Krauss replied. "But ve should discuss-"

"I wasn't speaking to you, gas man," Nuada replied haughtily. "I meant your friend. Abraham?"

And Abe immediately stepped forward, until he stood at the front of the group.

"Abe, what are you doing?" Rapunzel hissed incredulously, but he didn't respond to her, his eyes only focussed on Nuala.

"Just as I promised," Nuada continued, "My sister is unharmed, so it is time for you to uphold your end of the bargain."

And then Abe reached inside his jumpsuit pocket, even as Nuala warned him in Gaelic, " _Don't do this_!" He then held out his hand, revealing a diamond-shaped gold item; the final piece of the Royal Crown.

"What are you doing?" Hellboy shouted in shock, and Merida was just as appalled.

"Abe, ye cannae give Nuada the Crown Piece!" the Scottish princess cried. "If ye give it tae him, he'll just kill us all anyway!"

"What would you do, Merida?" Abe asked her. "If it was someone you cared for above all others…if it was Liz, or Eugene, or Tooth, or even Astrid…you would all do the exact same in my place."

Rapunzel could agree with Abe's statement, but it goes without saying that she didn't like it.

"But Nuada wouldn't hurt Nuala anyway, Mr. Sapien!" she insisted. "That would mean hurting himself as well as her. You can't trust him to keep his word!"

"Whether I can or not, I can't take the risk of Nuala getting hurt," Abe replied. "I'm sorry. Truly."

And he then turned away before throwing the crown piece towards Nuada. The Elf prince caught it with a smirk, then lifted it up to his head, gently pushing it into place on top of the other pieces. As curved slots and bars of metal interwove and locked together, Nuada looked out across the control room towards the group of heroes.

"At last," he said, "The Royal Crown of Bethmoora is complete again. Now all that remains…"

He turned outwards and called aloud, "I am Prince Nuada Silverlance! Son of King Balor, heir to the throne of Bethmoora, and with this Crown, leader of the Golden Army! Is there anyone within this chamber who wish to dispute my right?"

And as he spoke, the gears beneath Nuada's feet began to turn and grind slowly, with great metallic creaking and clanking noises. The inner mechanisms glowed red like a hearth and from outside the chamber, Merida heard an unpleasant hissing noise, and she turned to look.

One by one, the massive golden oval shapes began to unfold and open out; small, round heads popped out of hollow torsos, large arms pushed out and unhinged, slowly straightening out, and short legs protruded from beneath the ungainly bodies, which heaved themselves upwards onto the causeway, slowly walking forwards with clanking steps that shook the ground.

The first Golden Soldier climbed up the staircase into sight, and the whole group gasped in awe upon seeing it. He stood at least 9 feet above them, even taller than Hellboy and Toothless on his back legs, and had the body shape of a sumo wrestler, with a wide ribcage which opened in the centre to expose a mixture of inner cogs and gears which glowed the same red as the mechanisms which had activated the army. His small legs ended in three short, round toes and his arms were decorated with four curved oval plates(one on each shoulder, one on each wrist). Upon his wrist plates, he bore the tree emblem of Bethmoora. And his head was small, with round sockets like a skull(his eyes also glowed red), and two black lines running on both sides of two small nostril-shaped indentations. His jaws had curved, serrated edges but with no teeth, and as he let out a mechanical roar upon seeing the group, two short, wide blades protruded from his wrist plates. Regardless of the bright gold sheen to his armour, this was a weapon, pure and simple.

A weapon which was one of many, all now climbing up towards the control chamber, clogging the staircase with their huge metal frames.

"Gods help us," Hiccup whispered under his breath.

As the massive gold juggernauts slowly piled in around them, Nuada then stepped forwards, holding out an imploring hand.

"Fairy, Pooka," he called to Tooth and Bunny. "It does not have to end like this. You can still choose the right side."

"We're already on the right side, mate," Bunny retorted coldly. "We stand with our friends, against you if we need to be."

"But why stand against me?" Nuada continued. "Why not help me? You and I are both creatures of the older world. We have nothing in common with mankind. They are consumed with greed and envy. Leave them behind, and help me reclaim what is ours."

Tooth laughed sourly. "You know something, Prince Nuada? You may well be charismatic, good at martial arts, and have really good teeth("Hey!" Jack protested), but the one thing you clearly aren't is smart."

Her eyes darkened with anger as she heatedly continued, "You broke an ancient peace treaty between your people and mankind. You killed over 70 people just to get your hands on a metal crown. You won over the worst kind of Tooth Fairies alive…"

Finally, her anger was released in a passionate scream, "AND ON TOP OF THAT, LAST NIGHT, YOU STABBED MY BOYFRIEND IN THE RIBS WITH A SPEAR! I'LL NEVER JOIN FORCES WITH A COLD-HEARTED MURDERER LIKE YOU!"

Bunny then joined in the shouting. "SO GO PUSH THAT OFFER INSIDE YOUR BETHMOORAN BUM, MATE! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"

Jack's mouth widened at this blatant display of intense fury from both Guardians. Even when Bunny had accused him of betraying them to Pitch, he'd never been as angry as this. It was such a relief they were both on the same side.

Nuada shook his head with regret. "So be it. I may regret this." he turned to the Golden Army and gave his first order. "Kill them."

The Golden Army gave a bloodthirsty cheer and retractable swords protruded from their wrists. Nuala fiercely tugged at her brother's shoulder as they prepared to attack the group.

" _Nuada, don't do this,_ " she pleaded, but he pushed her hand off him.

"You were right, Rapunzel," Abe said in quiet shock. "He lied to us. I should have known better."

"Abe, old pal," Hellboy sighed, as he flicked open his revolver to arm it, "If we ever get out of here alive, we gotta talk."

And then the battle began. A Soldier lifted both its arms behind Hellboy and brought them down, trying to cut him in half, but it missed him by inches as he ran forwards, then turned to shoot the massive metal monster, blowing off half its face. He then slid on his back underneath more Soldiers, firing his gun repeatedly and taking them down. Then he slid to a halt as his feet hit the base of a column, whereupon he reloaded, got up and jumped onto one of the Soldiers from behind, noting the small bumps on its back which he used as hand rungs. The Soldier swung around, trying to find the nuisance, but Hellboy then shot it from behind, jumping off as another Soldier tried to grab him, and dropping onto the second Soldier's head. He then reached into the metal mouth, holding its top jaw up, whilst its lower jaw rattled like an ant's mandibles.

"Open wide!" Hellboy called, before firing his gun into the mouth and blew out numerous cogs and black oil. The defeated Soldier fell over, and Hellboy rolled off its wrecked body.

"Industrable, my butt," he taunted, whilst reloading his gun again.

Jack turned to face his friends. "Are you thinking…"

"What you're thinking?" Hiccup finished. "Sure we are, bud."

Merida notched her bow. "Let's gae kill these laddies!"

And the Big Four immediately launched into battle. Jack flew onto one of the Soldiers and pried through a few levers with his staff, exposing a clear shot into the automaton's inner workings.

"Hey, Tooth?" Jack called. "I wonder what would happen if I dropped a snowball down this guy's neck?"

And Jack then blew into his hands, creating a swirling ball of turquoise ice, before then releasing it inside the Soldier's body. Immediately, the Soldier stiffened with a scraping noise, raising its arms to claw at its neck even as white frost began to spread over its metal surface and extinguished the fiery glow inside its chest. Finally, its arms locked over Jack's head, it fell over face-first, breaking into separate metal pieces as the Guardian jumped off and did a triumphant pose with his staff.

"By the way, Hellboy," he pointed out as he glided over to blast another Soldier away with a gust of icy wind. "The word you're looking for is _indestructible_ , not _industrable_."

"Yeah, but I was a kid when I first pronounced it that way, Jack," Hellboy replied, before shooting yet another Soldier in the legs so it fell over.

"Fair enough."

The rest of the Guardians were doing just as well. Tooth and her mini-Fairies were clustered around another Soldier's head, pecking and stabbing holes in him repeatedly.

"Wings up, and take no prisoners!" Tooth shouted, as a stroke from her sword completely severed the Soldier's head. She then flew straight over to another one and held its mouth open. The mini-Fairies shot inside and started pulling out cogs and other mechanisms, in a manner similar to what the Black Forest Tooth Fairies had been doing what felt like so long ago.

Bunny threw a handful of colourful eggs at another Soldier, creating colourful explosions. When the Soldier fell over backwards, it was now stained vivid blue. Bunny looked over at North. "What do you think, mate?"

"I don't like it," North replied. "Paint him red!"

Bunny grinned, then pulled out a boomerang and started slashing the Soldier to pieces with the serrated edges, before throwing it into the air, where it cut through yet another head. The Bunny jumped into the air and threw himself onto yet another Soldier, kicking it in the head repeatedly.

"Ya might wannna duck!" He shouted, jumping off. Minutes later, as the Soldier looked up in surprise, a boomerang flew through its neck from behind. For a few minutes, it stood, looking stupidly at its severed throat, and then its head rolled to the ground with a thump. The rest of it fell over a few minutes later.

Bunny turned to shout to Jack. "Right, that's three for me, two fer you, mate. Let's see you catch up with me now!"

"Oh, shut up, Kangaroo!" Jack taunted, before then catching Tooth's sword and driving it into another Soldier's head.

Sandy closed his eyes in concentration, then a massive pile of Dreamsand formed beneath him, rising upwards into the shape of a huge T. Rex. Mouth open in a silent roar, the Dreamsand dinosaur then snapped its jaws over a Soldier, shaking him vigorously until half his torso came off in its teeth. As two more Soldiers pulled up on both sides, Sandman next created a cannon. Turning it to face the opposition, the Guardian of Dreams smiled tauntingly and made a "pow" expression with his face before firing balls of sand into their eyes, making them fall over with a loud thud.

North had come up with a more ingenious tactic of driving his swords into one Soldier's shoulder joints, then using them like levers on a remote-control toy, jerking arms backwards and forwards and stabbing more Soldiers in the chest as they tried to attack him.

"You're all on naughty list!" he shouted cheerfully, before finally jumping off and flipping his Soldier over.

Rapunzel and Eugene were seated on a Soldier's shoulder, taking it in turns to whack it with a frying pan to the head. Finally, an exceptionally powerful whack knocked his head clean off, and the royal couple jumped off him to escape.

"Frying pans!" Liz remarked from behind a protective shield of fire. "Who knew, right?"

Merida, meanwhile, fired arrows into a particularly brutal Soldier's ribs and climbed up him onto his shoulders. With a growl, Toothless jumped forwards, his teeth bared as he glared at the Soldier with his bright green eyes.

The Soldier seemed at a loss for reactions. He drew his arm back and prepared to punch, but he looked highly hesitant and slow.

"Why doesn't he attack?" Astrid murmured, as she rode Stormfly over to attack another Soldier.

"Well, Merida said the Army were only created to attack humans, right?" Hiccup responded, as he threw a piece of metal soaked in oil into a Soldier's ribcage, then threw Inferno after it, creating a gas explosion that blew the monster to pieces. "I don't think they know what to do with animals."

Toothless then released a fire blast, beheading the Soldier.

"Or dragons, as it turns out."

"Then why-" Bunny jumped from one Soldier to another, dodging falling swords each time, "are they-" he jumped again. "attackin' me, ya drongo?"

"'Cos white-head over there told them to," Eugene replied, as he and Rapunzel prized off another Soldier's head with a crowbar which Abe had provided them with earlier.

"White-head" then reached behind his back and produced a small metal box which he then threw straight at them. As the box broke open, a small hive of Tooth Fairies(the nasty kind) came spilling out, screeching for blood(or teeth, more likely).

"Not these guys again," Hellboy groaned. "Tooth, can you get your girls over here?"

"I've got a better idea," Astrid said. "Stormfly?"

The Deadly Nadder perked up and then fired a spray of spikes from her tail, neatly impaling nine Tooth Fairies as she did. They fell to the ground like little white insect kebabs.

"Nice work, Sheila," Bunny said approvingly, before then throwing eggs at the remaining Fairies. The eggs were so hard and the Fairies so small that each time an egg hit them, it broke their necks and they fell to the ground. Merida might have winced at this if the little monsters hadn't tried to kill them days earlier.

"Don't forget to leave some for me!" Krauss called from behind an imposing wall of Soldiers. He looked surprisingly cheerful(well, as cheerful as a man made of white gas can look).

"You sure you don't need help, buddy?" Jack called as he iced the ground beneath a Soldier's feet, making it slip and fall on its face. "You don't have any weapons on you."

"Ah, but I have one veapon vhich zey do not have, Jack," Krauss replied as he unscrewed a metal panel in his chest. "Me."

As Krauss' suit deflated and sank to the floor, his white gassy being poured out into the air and floated towards the closest Soldier. The mechanical monster reached out and tried to grab the ectoplasm, but to no effect. And then the ectoplasm just seeped into the Soldier's body through the open ribcage. The Soldier let out a metallic roar of panic before his eyes and inner chest suddenly changed colour from orange-red to icy blue. After looking at his hands as though he was really noticing them, he then turned around and started beating up the Soldiers on either side of him.

"So th' wee gas-face can possess things too, can he?" Merida murmured, whilst firing arrows laced with dragon spit(supplied by Hiccup) into a Soldier's ribs, so that his oil was ignited and the big monster was blown to pieces. "He's no' as bad as I thought he was."

With a crack, Johann's Soldier punched another one backwards, so that he slid backwards until his feet got caught in the turning gears beneath Nuada's feet and his whole body was ground into pieces. Toothless then helped Krauss out by jumping onto one of the Soldier's shoulders and blowing his left arm off with a well-aimed plasma blast.

"Hey!" Hellboy shouted to the possessed automaton. "Throw me a bone here, Johann!"

And his shout was rewarded with the severed metal arm, twice as long as Hellboy himself, being thrown straight at him. The big demon caught the arm, but the effort it took made him slide backwards a short way, before he then turned around and started exchanging blows with more Soldiers, punching, deflecting, and even stabbing one of them straight in the chest cavity, before pushing it to the ground.

Unfortunately, just as the group were beginning to celebrate their triumph, a sword was punched through Krauss' Soldier from behind, spraying black oil as the blade was jerked upwards through his shoulder and the left side of his chest. With a thud, the Soldier fell to the ground and Krauss' ectoplasm spilled out of its body and returned to his suit, so that he slowly returned to his feet like a re-inflated balloon.

Meanwhile, the Soldiers who had already been taken down started to move, getting back to their feet. Now the group realized with shock the reason why the Golden Army were viewed as indestructible. The Soldiers were picking up severed limbs and pushing them back in place, broken parts repairing themselves and reattaching the joints. Severed heads produced small, jointed legs and crept up their bodies to the empty neck sockets. Even those Soldiers who had been completely shot to pieces by the dragons slowly pieced themselves together again. As soon as all was done, the big monsters started to pincer in on the group of heroes, preventing them from getting away anywhere. Bunny swore under his breath at seeing all their hard work undone.

"Self-repairing robots?" North murmured, in complete awe of this. "I could do vith some of those."

"Vell, I'm out of ideas," Dr. Krauss said dryly. "Each time ve kill zese monsters, zey rebuild zemselves, and ve cannot defeat all of zem viz our small group."

"Well, I've got an idea," Hellboy said suddenly. He then shouted up to the Elven prince, "I challenge you, Prince Nuada, for the right to command this Army! Do you accept?"

The Army stopped advancing, and then slowly turned around to face Nuada. They seemed almost like a bunch of giant schoolboys, waiting for their teacher to tell them what to do. Nuada himself looked affronted by the remark.

"Who are you to challenge me?" he asked haughtily. "I would have accepted a challenge from Merida(the Scottish princess raised her eyebrows), or the German(Rapunzel quickly assumed he was referring to her) or even the Viking(Hiccup), but you are not worthy! You are not royalty!"

"Yes, he is!" Nuala fiercely replied, pushing away from her brother. "He is Anung un Rama, the son of the Fallen One, a prince of the underworld! He is in every way as worthy to challenge you as they are!"

Merida looked at Hellboy in surprise. "Is this true, Red?" she asked. "Are ye a prince?"

Hellboy nodded wryly. "Well, if the Elf says it, it's probably true. Why the surprised tone, Ginger?"

Merida then said in a mock-pompous voice, "Well, yer highness, ye cannae go intae battle dressed in these dirty clothes! Go an' get somethin' more royal on first!"

"Ah, why bother?" Hiccup jibed. "He can't go into battle wearing colourful, flamboyant clothes. He'd look like a Stormfly."

The Deadly Nadder snarled half-seriously at him and Astrid gave him a shoulder punch.

"He has the right," Nuala continued. "The challenge must be answered."

"Very well then," Nuada replied, and the Elf prince threw a long curved knife across the room to the big demon. Hellboy caught it with a flourish.

"I accept your challenge," was all Nuada said.

Hellboy leaned over to Abe. "Don't worry, Abe, I'm not gonna kill him," he said. "But I am gonna kick his butt."

Hiccup imitated a "ding ding" noise. "Round one," he announced.

In response, Nuada stepped down onto the metal cogs, removing his gloves as he did so. He then jumped off the cog into a perfect somersault, before dropping to the ground with great skill. Getting to his feet again, Nuada drew his silver spear and flourished it. Hellboy flourished his own knife before then running forwards and jumping himself.

With a clang, their blades met in mid-air. Blows were exchanged in a swift whirl; Hellboy kept trying to deliver a fist-blow to Nuada's face, only to have his fist blocked repeatedly. Nuada then pulled into a backflip, jumping away from Hellboy's knife, then did a roll forwards.

"You know, for a hot-headed warmonger Elf, he's really light on his feet," Jack said to Tooth whilst watching the fight.

Nuada hissed with pain as he got to his feet, clutching at his right arm. As soon as Merida looked over to see a bleeding cut in Nuala's arm(in the same place), she immediately realized that Hellboy must have injured the prince unintentionally.

"EHHHHHH! Red card for a dirty foul!" Bunny shouted, but his competitive tone had changed to one of anger.

"Sorry guys!" Hellboy shouted back apologetically. "It won't happen again!"

"Too right it won't!" Nuada snarled, before lunging at Hellboy with his spear. Hellboy instinctively threw himself backwards, only to fall on his face a few feet away from Nuada.

"You can't catch me out like that again," Hellboy teased, before following it up with a swing of his own. Nuada blocked the swing, then jumped into the air and flipped back onto the main cog grinder. Hellboy jumped after him, but being nowhere near as slim as the Elf, he wavered a bit on his feet. Nuada seized the chance to stab at him, but Hellboy now used his granite fist as a shield to deflect the silver head and push it away.

Only to be caught in the stomach with a kick from Nuada. Hellboy fell over the edge of the cog they were stood on, dropping his knife which fell into the grinding mechanisms below him. He hung on to the side of the cog with both hands, before pulling himself up again. Nuada lashed out again, tearing a hole in Hellboy's coat(but, fortunately, not in his skin), and then turned the spear and used it like a snooker cue to push the demon backwards onto a lower cog. Hellboy got up again, but this time got backhanded in the face with the spear's hilt, throwing onto a cog which went upwards under the platform floor. Hellboy pressed himself flat as the cog turned out of sight.

"NO!" Merida screamed desperately. She'd heard horror stories about what happened to people who got caught in large grinders in films Jack had mentioned to her. But no bloodstains appeared as the cogs swivelled. A familiar voice called out.

"Hey!" Hellboy slowly rose into sight, stood on top of a cog three feet to the right of the one he'd gone under on and leaning casually. "Isn't this a nice ride?"

He rode the cogs like an escalater onto the main cog, dodging more of Nuada's strokes, until he got close enough to grab the shaft of Nuada's spear and pull it fiercely out of his grip. Nuada attempted to escape, but his shoulder was caught in a stern grip.

"You jumpy, slippery jerkwad," Hellboy growled through his teeth at him. "I've got you now, pal." And with that, he threw Nuada backwards onto the ground of the control room, keeping a hold on his spear as he jumped down after the Elf, holding it to his throat.

Nuada's yellow eyes were wide with shock as well as fear- shock that he had been defeated in battle, and by a lesser opponent, in his opinion. He shook visibly and did not attempt to move from where he lay. And when he next looked up at Hellboy, he had a resigned look in his eyes.

"Go ahead. Kill me," he said, sounding almost desperate to be put out of his misery.

Hellboy shook his head, ignoring his violent urging to impale the Elf prince to the ground and leave him there for stabbing him and injuring his face. "No," he replied stubbornly.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Nuada cried incredulously. "You _must_ kill me! For I will not stop my war on mankind! I cannot."

"But if I kill you, I kill your sister as well," Hellboy replied. "And I'm not gonna break Abe's heart, pal. I've won this fight. Now I'm gonna let you live."

And the Big Four cheered as he used Nuada's spear to slowly lift the Royal Crown off his head and take into his own hands. Hellboy then got up and turned away from Nuada, walking off slowly. But as he did, Merida saw the Elf get to his feet, his expression turning to anger. He reached to his belt and slowly pulled out a small dagger with his right hand.

Suddenly, an image flashed within Merida's mind- Nuada, a gaping cut in his tunic over his chest, falling to his knees as his body turned to yellowish-white stone, whilst Abe knelt over an already-petrified Nuala, a dagger lying useless at her side, still stained with her blood. Her chest tightened in horror.

King Balor's voice spoke to her once more: " _Save them, Nuada. Save my son… Save my daughter…_ "

And with a cry of "NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Merida ran forwards from the shelter of the group and hurled herself towards Nuada, grabbing his arms and tackling him over.

"GINGER!" Hellboy cried, rushing over to help her. "What are you doing?!"

"Never mind whit I'm doin', Red!" Merida screamed. "Help me drop this thing!"

And she shook Nuada's arm until he dropped the dagger, only to try and push her off him.

Merida fell back with a cry of pain, as Nuada kicked his spear out of Hellboy's grip and returned it to his own. He got to his feet and rushed forwards, but Merida grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back.

"Dinnae do this, Nuada!" She wept desperately. "The battle is a'ready over. Ye cannae fight any mair!"

"It is _not_ over!" Nuada shouted. "It cannot be over until I kill him, and my people do not need to live in fear of mankind any more!"

"Ye're goin' about this the wrong way!" the Scottish princess insisted. "Yer father wouldnae want ye tae take this path!"

"My father is DEAD!" the Elf prince croaked hoarsely. "His wishes no longer apply to my desires!"

"No, he isnae dead!" Merida finally snapped, shoving him backwards with some surprising nerve.

The Big Four and friends collectively winced. As far as they were concerned, Nuada was either about to kill their friend or do something worse. But instead he did neither. He paused, and even lowered his spear a little.

"What do you mean?" he asked quietly. "How do you know this, Merida?"

"I saw ye," Merida softly continued. "In a dream. I saw all that ye have done, Nuada. I saw ye unleash the Tooth Fairies back at the auction house, I saw ye try tae kill King Balor, I saw ye take the two Crown Pieces."

Nuada's eyes teared up as he remembered his own shameful actions.

"But then, he returned tae life, Nuada," the princess continued. "He had enough magic left in him tae heal hi'self, but no' enough tae save ye from this dark path. He warned me that if ye did not change yer ways, ye would die, an' Nuala would die with ye."

"She speaks truly, brother," Nuala added from where she stood. "When I met her again, within the Troll Market, she told us of our father's warning to her. You must listen to reason."

"But then, why should you choose to help me?" Nuada asked. "Why not side against me with the rest of your kind?"

"Because ye're bein' used, Nuada, and ye dinnae even suspect it," Merida replied. "Pitch Black is after the Golden Army. He's been manipulatin' ye ever since ye stole the first Crown Piece."

"Pitch obeys me!" Nuada replied, tightening his grip on the spear. "He helped me so he could save the kingdom of his daughter. He respects me."

"Pitch doesnae obey ye, Nuada, an' ye know it," Merida said. "An' he's not after the Crown tae help his daughter. As soon as he gets a chance, he'll betray ye an' take the Crown fer himself."

"Is that a threat?" the Elf said sharply.

Merida shook her head. "No, Nuada. This is an apology."

In the background, it was as though a gentle Spanish guitar had begun playing. Merida lowered her sword and her bow to the ground and began to sway gently to the music.

And then she sang, softly and gently.

" _Nuada, I am humble,_

 _Fer some time ago I found,_

 _Yer royal blood was never meant_

 _Tae be spilled upon this ground._

 _Ye've suffered great injustice,_

 _So have thousands afore you._

 _I offer man's apology,_

 _An' one long overdue."_

The music swelled into full lilt, and Merida began to almost dance around Nuada, who kept his spear pointed, but his expression was more bewildered(like a Bewilderbeast, ha!).

" _I am sorry,_

 _Nuada, I am sorry,_

 _Here me song, an' know I sing the truth._

 _Although yer mind is full o' hate,_

 _I look fer kindness in yer heart today._

 _An' if ye can fergive,_

 _An' if ye can forgive,_

 _Love can truly live._

 _An' if ye can fergive,_

 _An' if ye can fergive,_

 _Love can truly live._ "

And Hiccup could have sworn that she pointed her waving arm in the direction of Abe and Nuala as she sang this. As the music continued, Hiccup found himself remembering the knowledge La Muerte had bestowed upon all of them before going to confront Nuada. He instinctively remembered every word of the song, and slowly began to find himself moving forwards towards Nuada. The Elf moved his other hand off the hilt of his spear to stop Hiccup, but the young Viking just started to sing himself.

" _Alfar, you may kill me,_

 _But I'll use my final breath,_

 _To tell you that I'm sorry;_

 _Let us end this senseless death._

 _For centuries of agony,_

 _That we to you have sent,_

 _Hear our pleas to you today,_

 _Let the senseless killing end._ "

North had begun to sway graciously to the music, waving his arms with interlocked fingers. The rest of the group stared at him.

"What? Is catchy," North replied, but then the rest of the group broke out singing as well.

" _We are sorry,_

 _Nuada, we are sorry,_

 _Hear our song, and know we sing the truth,_

 _Although your mind is full of hate,_

 _We look for kindness in your heart today,_

 _And if you can forgive,_

 _And if you can forgive,_

 _Love can truly live._

 _And if you can forgive,_

 _And if you can forgive,_

 _Love can truly live._ "

Nuada did not once move throughout the singing. Finally, it was Merida and Hiccup singing the chorus lines.

" _An' if ye can fergive/_

 _And if you can forgive,_

 _Love can truly live._

 _An' if ye can fergive/_

 _And if you can forgive,_

 _Love…love will truly live._ "

They finished, their heads lowered and their arms outspread. Nuada said nothing, but his yellow eyes were full of tears of genuine shock and awe. He looked at Merida, then nodded almost imperceptibly. And then he opened his hand, and his spear fell to the floor with a clatter.

The message was immediately made clear. Nuada had finally forgiven mankind for their crimes against his people. He was no longer their enemy.

Sandman then created a huge pair of Dreamsand hands above his head and started clapping them together, whilst Toothless and Stormfly roared enthusiastically. The Big Four, despite everything, began to feel overjoyed, whilst Nuada smiled at them a bit apologetically.

"Thanks, Merida," Astrid said, bumping the Scottish princess' shoulder in a friendly way. "We'd never have made it this far without you."

"Yes, well done, dearest," came a pure cold, dark voice from the shadows. "Utterly moving performance."

The feeling of euphoria immediately turned to one of shock as the group turned to face the direction from which the group had spoken. Out of the shadows appeared a tall, slender man with spiky black hair, ashen skin, pointed teeth and cold yellow eyes.

"But I'm afraid it makes little difference overall," he continued, "As I don't feel like letting any of you leave this place alive."

" _Pitch_ …" Jack snarled through gritted teeth.

The King of Nightmares grinned up at him. "Yes, my dear Jack," he chuckled. "It's me. You didn't expect me to always stay in the dark, did you?"

 **OOOOOOOOOHHHH! The action finally reaches a climax, as the next chapter will feature the much-expected battle between the BPRD, the Big Four and Pitch Black! Sorry for not posting this much earlier, but I was going through writer's block, and I wanted to save it for a special occasion. Alfar is the Viking word for Elf, by the way, the Apology Song is the property of the Book of Life, and I do not own any of these characters, only what I'm doing with them.**

 **See you next chapter. Merry Christmas!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 11: Nightmare battle

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," Hellboy grumbled under his breath, as the Nightmare King came within full sight. He was still dressed in his black flowing robes, as always, but there was something different about him now. On previous occasions when the group had seen him(or rather, Merida), he had seemed scary enough, but Nuada had been everyone's main concern. But looking at him now, he seemed to have an echoing aura of darkness around him, and he sounded even more icy and terrifying now.

To make matters worse, Pitch hadn't come alone. Behind him from the shadows emerged a group of black horses. But these horses were not normal horses. For a start, their inky skin had a grainy texture, as though they were made from sand, and with a slight tinge of purple. Their ribs were prominent beneath their "skin" and their eyes were pure yellow, and without pupils. And they had spikes protruding from parts of their bodies like tusks.

Besides the horses, a group of pure black figures stood behind Pitch. They had squat, muscular bodies and streaming wisps(not those kind of wisps) running behind their heads and shoulders, like fire. They, too, had featureless yellow eyes, but they also had gaping mouths curved into threatening smirks. They seemed just as terrifying as Pitch. Some of the figures were taller than the rest of them, and wielded jagged curved swords and wore tricorne hats on their shadowy heads.

"Brilliant," Bunny growled irritably. "Pitch brought his whole family for the reunion."

"Not as sharp as you look, are you, rabbit?" Pitch taunted. "These Nightmares and Fearlings and Dream Pirates-some of them are my creations, yes. But they're not my whole family, you see. My daughter couldn't be here, for obvious reasons."

He turned to Nuada. "By the way, your highness, well done on reclaiming the Royal Crown. I see you've already put it to good use(he gestured non-specifically at the Golden Army). So hopefully you won't mind if I…"

A whip of black sand grew in his hand, then Pitch swung it and snatched the Crown from Hellboy's grasp, pulling it into his own hands like a fisherman reeling in his catch. He then cheerfully placed the Crown on top of his head, ignoring the horrified gasps as he walked through the group to stand atop the platform of gears.

"Well, well," the Boogeyman continued. "What a glittering assemblage, as my old friend Maleficent once said. The BPRD... The Big Four… and the Guardians, all in the same place! And now I have the Crown of Bethmoora within my grasp! I should thank you, but it'll be more fun to kill you!"

The black horses-Nightmares- pressed closer to the group. One of them got too close to Toothless, and the Night Fury roared at it, prompting it to trot backwards a little. The horses weren't going to attack them, Hiccup realized- they were trying out scare tactics.

"Don't be scared," Pitch added lazily. "Nightmares smell fear, you know. It makes them excited."

"What are you doing, Kozmotis?" Nuada asked incredulously. "How dare you take my Crown!"

" _Your_ Crown?" Pitch grinned cheekily. "I don't remember your father ever giving you permission to wear it. You practically tore it from his dead body without a second thought!"

"He's not dead," Nuada said, but Hiccup could tell that Pitch's words hurt him. "Not anymore."

"Hey, Chris Lee!" Hellboy shouted up to Pitch. "What are you doing with that crown?"

Pitch laughed coldly. "Is that not obvious, boy?" He sneered the word "boy" as he spoke. "I'm taking revenge."

"On who?" Hiccup asked, reaching for Inferno, but he could already guess the people Pitch would mention next.

"On you, little Viking! On your dragons, on your friends, on Jack Frost! But most of all, on the Guardians!"

His expression was brutal now. "Do you have any idea what I went through the last time you fools defeated me? I was thrown underground! Turned on by my own Nightmares! Stripped of all power and left to soak in my own fears! I'd never felt so weak before…nor so angry."

Pitch's golden eyes narrowed dangerously. "I hated you all even more than I had ever since the Dark Ages. But I was patient. I waited to find a way to regain my power and cripple you once again. I heard about what the human Rasputin and his allies were planning to do with _you_ , Hellboy, but I didn't help them. Why? Because I, and I alone, will rule the world."

Hiccup felt shocked by this. In defeating the Ogdru Jahad and Rasputin's Nazis, had they cleared the way for another evil tyrant to seize power?

"Imagine my surprise, therefore," Pitch continued, "To learn that there was another ancient force to be awakened, one which I could co-operate with. Even in the ancient times, the stories of the Golden Army used to excite me _so much_! The pure terror those monsters generated in the hearts of men!" A tear of joy filled his eyes. "And when I heard that dearest Nuada was seeking it out as well, I couldn't resist! He was the ideal servant for the King of Nightmares!"

"Servant?!" Nuada incredulously shouted. "I do not serve you, Pitch!"

"Oh, but you did, your Highness, whether you know it or not. Your anger and hatred fed my strength and provided me with the perfect means of reforming my own forces. I dispensed with my old Nightmares and kept alive the loyal members. I played on your own fear of mankind to guide you right where I wanted you to go. And now I have no further need of you, I shall take your Army as my own!"

"No, you won't," Hiccup snarled.

"An' what would ye do wi' the Golden Army anyway, Ink-Head?" Merida taunted with a completely original nickname. "Dinnae tell me ye're gonnae use 'em tae scare kids."

Pitch's smile could curdle milk. "Correct, princess. I'm not going to use them to scare _kids._ No, these Soldiers are the kind of things that I could scare _adults_ senseless with! If I'm to make a successful bid for conquest, I should broaden my horizons."

"You and your big mouth, Merida," Jack hissed under his breath.

"There's just one thing I should change beforehand," Pitch continued as though Jack had not spoken. "The name. You see, 'Golden' Army doesn't sound that terrifying, does it? _Nightmare_ Army, on the other hand…"

As he spoke, the shadowy Dream Pirates and Fearlings each split up and floated over to the Golden Soldiers. With their hands they pried their heads forward, opening a way for them to insert themselves inside the neck cavities of the huge automatons, like the pilots of a helicopter. As they did so, the Army gave a huge hiss like steam-engines, then shook violently as their metal bodies slowly changed colour, from gold to midnight black, as though they were made of paper with watercolour paint seeping through. Their eyes, in contrast, turned icy yellow, and the swords protruding from their wrists extended greatly. If anything, they looked even more terrifying than they had before.

"Ok, this is bad," Eugene murmured, wishing he had a longer frying pan for this fight.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Pitch chuckled. "And the best thing is, thanks to my minions giving them power, they're even more deadly than before! If you want to kill this Army, you'll have to take me down first! And in order to get to me, you have to get past the Nightmares!"

"Good idea," Hiccup remarked wryly. Hellboy, however, wasn't as impressed by the Nightmares as the rest of the group.

"Seriously?" he said. "This is the best way you can think of scaring us, Pitch? A bunch of black ponies? I think you'll find we're a lot tougher than that."

"Fair enough," Pitch replied lazily. "I'll make it more exciting."

He snapped his fingers, and immediately, the eight Nightmares surrounding the group crumbled into clouds of black sand, swirled in mid-air threateningly, then re-formed as eight menacing shapes that were _not_ horses. Sammael, Rasputin, Kroenen, Gothel, the Stabbingtons, Mor'du, the Red Death and Dagur the Deranged; all the individuals that the Big Four and the BPRD had gone up against in the past, and knew all too well.

"You and _your_ big mouth now, Red," Jack dryly remarked.

Hellboy didn't pay attention to this remark and cracked his fists together. "Why go to all this trouble, Pitch? Are you sending in your lackies because you're too scared to fight us yourself? Let's go a few rounds, just the two of us."

"No," Hiccup interrupted, brushing forwards to the front of the crowd. " _I_ will fight Pitch."

Everyone's jaws dropped(even the Golden Army's, but they just picked up their fallen jaws again and reattached them.

"What?" Hellboy asked, complete shock registering in his yellow eyes.

"You had your turn with Nuada, Red," Hiccup replied. "I've done comparatively the least out of the rest of us. It's only fair that I should be the one to finish this fight."

"But Hic," Liz said in concern. "If you fight Pitch, he might kill you."

Hiccup smiled bravely. "I'm a Viking. It's an occupational hazard."

Astrid smiled nostalgically, remembering the last time Hiccup said something like this before squaring off with the Red Death. She quickly ran over to give her boyfriend a kiss. "Take him down, babe."

Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder, thanking her for the courage she'd just given him. He then turned to face the Boogeyman where he stood. "What about it, _General Black_? Do you accept my challenge for the Crown?"

Pitch frowned and stroked his ashen chin. "Well, you weren't my first choice of opponent, but then, I suppose you are of royalty after all…Well, what am I waiting for?"

A column of black sand formed in his right hand, narrowing, becoming solid, and forming a scythe, with two yellow Nightmare eyes above the blade, giving it the look of a very tall, very thin, limbless raven. "I accept your challenge, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third! Prepare to die!"

The Golden(now Nightmare) Army raised their arms, eager for blood, but Pitch called out, "NO! Leave the Viking and his friends! Let my Nightmares try their mettle! After that, should they survive, _then_ you can kill them!"

Pitch strode drown the metal cog platform until he stood level with Hiccup, whilst the Nightmares cleared a space for them to fight on. Both opponents tightened their grips on their weapons, swaying from side to side on their legs.

"As I recall, you made quite a musical number before, with the Prince," Pitch taunted, and Hiccup swore he could hear electric guitar music playing in the background. "It's only fair that I start off this fight with a song of my own."

And then Pitch swung his scythe in a neat arc. Hiccup lunged out with his left hand, catching the blade and deflecting it. Pitch began singing in a low, cold voice.

" _So you think that your friends in high places_

 _Will scare my Nightmares, make them want to run?_ "

He backhanded Hiccup in the stomach with his scythe handle, knocking him over. Before Hiccup could get up again, Pitch sunk into the shadowed ground like water, then reappeared in a separate corner of the room.

" _Well, forgive our incredulous faces,_

 _You'll learn what power is when we are done._

 _Son…_ "

And at this point, the Nightmares surged forwards and attacked the heroes. As they attacked, they joined in singing with Pitch. Jack was shocked on two accounts: first, this was the first time he'd ever heard Nightmares speaking, or even singing, and second, they sounded even more terrifying while doing so- deep, growling echoing voices that sounded like half of Jurassic Park had tried out operetta.

" _You're playing with the big boys now,_

 _You're playing with the big boys now._ "

The Kroenen Nightmare charged straight for Merida and Astrid swinging his swords. Merida ducked and rolled, while Astrid swung her axe and cut off one of the Nightmare's swords, only for a blast of purple light to hit her in the shoulder and blow her backwards. Judging by the cold laugh from the Gothel Nightmare, it could only have been her.

"Stupid Saxon Arm-Freezing Curse," Astrid snarled as she tried to lever her arm up and down; it was so cold and sensationless that she might have had an ice lolly attached to her body instead.

" _Every spell and gesture_

 _Shows you who's the best, you're_

 _Playing with the big boys now._ "

The Rasputin Nightmare didn't seem to have any weapons on his person, so Jack thought he might win the fight easily, but as he ran forwards with his staff held out, the black grainy hand grabbed the crook of his icy weapon and lifted him into the air before slamming it on the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Tooth gave a furious scream, flew over and then kicked Rasputin in the face, spilling his teeth(which crumbled into sand).

" _You're playing with the big boys now,_

 _You're playing with the big boys now._ "

The Stabbington Nightmares went straight for Eugene, brandishing their clubs and daggers. He lashed out with his frying pan, clubbing one of them, but the other one tackled him to the ground. Before he could bring down his club, however, a boomerang swung through his throat, severing his head; the thuggish man crumbled into lifeless black sand again.

" _Give up your foolish mission,_

 _Watch us apparitions_

 _Give an exhibition how.._ "

Hiccup, meanwhile, had switched to his wide metal foot to climb up the gears after Pitch, only for the Nightmare King to kick his arm. Hiccup dropped Inferno, and Pitch pushed him back to the ground after his sword.

" _Pick up that firey twig, boy,_

 _You're playing with the big boys now._ "

The Dagur Nightmare and the Gothel Nightmare ganged up on Abe and Johann. Dagur, of course, went straight in with his axe, screaming madly, but Abe managed to jump a few feet off the ground, and plant his piscine feet in the Berserker's chest, knocking him over. Krauss simply released his ectoplasmic body from his suit, before driving his fists through Gothel's stomach and swinging them outwards. With both her flanks smashed to pieces, Gothel slowly collapsed on both sides like a damaged sand castle. In spite of his hatred for the manipulative witch, Eugene winced to imagine what it must feel like to be punched by something made of ectoplasm.

" _You're playing with the big boys now,_

 _You're playing with the big boys now._ "

The Sammael Nightmare shot its tongue out of its mouth straight for Stormfly. Unlike the real hellhound, this Nightmare couldn't lay eggs on a victim with its tongue, but it was still dangerous to have around your neck, so Stormfly swung her tail in to intercept. Sammael howled in pain as multiple spikes pierced its tongue, but then Toothless fired a plasma blast straight at his head from behind, filling the air with the smell of gunpowder smoke and burnt sand.

" _You cannot ignore us,_

 _You will bow before us,_

 _Bow before our splendorous power…_ "

The Mor'du Nightmare reared up on its back legs and swiped at North. The Guardian of Wonder dodged out of the way, then dived for the bear's legs. He climbed up them and onto Mor'du's back, before then driving one of his swords into a soft spot on his shoulder. Mor'du howled in pain and fell to the ground, whereupon Sandy wound a Dreamsand whip around his neck. The Nightmare bear slowly turned yellow, crumbled and changed shape, becoming a golden elephant.

"Whoa!" Jack remarked as he got to his feet. "How did you do that, North?"

North chuckled. "Is not first time I have taken down a giant bear, Jack!"

" _You put up a front,_

 _You put up a fight,_

 _And just to show I feel no spite,_

 _You can be my acolyte!_

 _But first it's time to bow-_

 _Bow down!_ "

Liz and Jack now were faced by the massive legs of the Red Death Nightmare. The gigantic black dragon reared up and bellowed at them, glaring hatred out of all six eyes.

"Ok, Jack, plan's this," Liz said as they eyed up the enemy. "I'll take his legs on the right…"

"I'll take the ones on the left," Jack finished, before the pair ran in opposite directions to avoid the snapping mouth. Jack quickly released a stream of slippery ice beneath the dragon's feet. Liz released a concentrated stream of fire from the other flank. Dragons couldn't be burned by fire. But Liz used her fire as a laser instead, cutting through the massive legs so that the monster fell to the ground on one side, roaring in pain.

The pyrokinetic and the winter spirit reunited in front of the dragon's face to high-five before shooting ice and fire at each other to produce a massive cloud of steam, getting in the monster's eyes.

But their sense of triumph was cut short when a loud clang informed them that Hiccup had been knocked over by Pitch yet again. The Boogeyman continued singing sadistically, as he drew closer, raising the scythe above his head for the final blow.

" _Or it's your own grave you dig, boy,_

 _You're playing with the big boys now,_

 _Playing…with…the…big…boys…_

 _OOOOOWWWWWWWWW!_ "

That last part was because a massive metal fist shot out of the air and punched Pitch in the face, knocking him over.

As the chain retracted back into its socket, the astonished heroes turned to face the newest assailant of the Nightmare King.

It was Mr. Wink. The big Cave-Troll was looking in far better shape than when the BPRD had left him, bruised, unconscious and one-handed. Now he looked full of energy and- even more surprising- he had a new metal hand in his socket. This one was even more intricately detailed than the last one, with five fingers as opposed to four, and neat stylized mountain patterns around the knuckles. In addition, it was made of solid bronze, as opposed to iron.

"Mr. Wink!" Hiccup cried, getting up again whilst Pitch nursed his wounded pride(and his nose). "How did you get here?"

Mr. Wink grinned. "Your friend with the white beard is very helpful!"

All eyes fell on North, no-one even surprised that Mr. Wink could speak English all along. He smiled humbly and replied, "Vell, I paid visit to your friends in the BPRD place, and I agreed to fix the troll's hand if he helped us. I believe in fair exchange!"

Pitch slowly got to his feet, looking dangerous at this point. Hiccup looked down at him warningly.

"Don't bother, Pitch," he threatened. "We've got the advantage. You've lost."

"No!" Pitch snarled. "I will not have lost until we finish the fight!"

"THEN FIGHT HIM, MONSTER! OR RATHER, FIGHT US BOTH!"

With a loud clang, Nuada's spear fell to the ground in front of Pitch's feet. The Elven prince jumped back up the staircase to confront him.

"What are you doing?" Hiccup hissed at him.

"I'm saving your life, what does it look like?" Nuada hissed back.

Pitch now seemed intimidated by both his opponents, and he turned away from them to face Hellboy, with an oddly pitiful expression on his face.

"You, Hellboy," he called, descending the cog platform to approach him slowly. "Why must we be enemies, you and I? We could be so much more instead, surely."

Hellboy reached down for the knife he took from Nuada.

"Don't be afraid, Hellboy," Pitch continued, reaching out his own hands expressively. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Why do you think I'm afraid of you?" Hellboy retorted.

Pitch raised his eyebrows. "Perhaps not of me. But you are afraid of something. People's greatest fears are the one thing I always know about. Your fear is that no-one will ever accept you, no matter how much you do for them. However much you act like a hero, people will only ever see you as a monster."

Hellboy lowered his dagger, and Hiccup could tell, much to his shock, that he could sympathize with what was being said. Pitch was trying to get him on his side, just as he had once done with Jack.

"Believe it or not, I know what it's like to be shunned and treated like I do not belong," Pitch continued. "I can tell you from experience, these humans won't accept you. No more than they'll accept me. You need to think about which side you are on. I can help you choose the right one."

For a few moments, Hellboy was silent. But then he pulled out his dagger and pointed it at Pitch's throat.

"Sorry about this, pal," he remarked. "But I've already been tempted by an evil guy once."

Pitch looked genuinely shocked. "But- why? Why side with them instead of me?"

"Cos I only look like a monster," Hellboy replied proudly. "But everyone knows the real monster here's you!"

Pitch's eyes were wide with hurt for a few minutes, but then his eyebrows lowered and his expression hardened. "You wish to fight with them? So be it!"

And he raised his scythe above his head, only for a golden whip of some kind to wind around his arm. With a scream of pain, Pitch dropped his scythe, clutching at his arm. The whip(now revealed to be some of Rapunzel's hair) slowly withdrew and returned to its original length, whilst Rapunzel herself drew a Viking sword from her hip.

Hiccup shuddered to see this. Rapunzel was the healer of the Big Four. She rarely took lives, and preferred to heal them. So if even she was prepared to use a weapon which Hiccup had only given to her as a ceremonial item, this battle must be about to have a serious outcome.

"Don't you dare touch my friend," she growled, looking every bit as golden and dangerous as the Army.

It was then that Hiccup noticed that Pitch's arm had changed colour- instead of its usual ashen hue, it was now a more normal pink, and far warmer than the rest of him. He looked up just in time to see Rapunzel's hair glowing brightly, and an idea sprang into his head.

But before he could put the plan into action, Pitch whipped around with a wild, violent scream, drawing a sword of black Nightmare sand which he tried to bring down on Hiccup's head. Drawing Inferno, Hiccup blocked him yet again, but before either of them could knock each other over, a powerful blast of icy wind threw Pitch off the ground and up into the ceiling of the chamber. Pitch fell to the ground and lay unconscious.

"Thanks, Jack," Hiccup said to his friend.

"It's only temporary, Hiccup," Jack replied. "He'll come round in a minute, and then we'll have to fight him again."

"Well, I've got a plan to help us fight him," Hiccup pointed out with a sly look. "Rapunzel, could you do that thing you did with your hair just then?"

Rapunzel quickly made her hair grow into a narrow rope, then swung it around the neck of one of the Nightmares(who had changed back into their normal equine forms without their master's supervision).

" _Flower, gleam and glow, let your power shine_ ," she sung, ignoring the Nightmare's attempts to pull itself free. As she sung, her hair glowed around the beast's neck, and it slowly turned yellow, crumbled and then reformed, now a perfect Dreamsand horse.

"There. You see that?" Hiccup pointed out. "Rapunzel's hair does more than just heal sicknesses and wounds, it turns Nightmares back into dreams. Like Sandman's touch, right?"

Sandman created a tick of sand above his head to agree.

"Well, when Rapunzel wound her hair around Pitch's arm, it changed colour," he continued. "It turned from grey to pink, like he briefly became human instead of…all this." he pointed in an unspecific way at Pitch's body.

"You just gestured to all of him," Bunny pointed out.

"Shut up, Bunny. Don't steal other people's jokes. Anyway, if we can use Rapunzel's hair to make Pitch human, we can save him as well as everyone else!"

"You can't be serious," Bunny incredulously remarked. "Pitch hates his own humanity with the greatest passion, mate. He'll try to stop that hair touching him."

"Then we'll have to force it on him," Rapunzel replied determinedly.

An angry shout informed them that Pitch was recovering himself. They didn't have long to react.

 _Such evil cannot easily be defeated, my children_ , a gentle voice spoke in their minds; one they immediately recognized as Mother Nature. _I fear the only way to restore balance and defeat the Golden Army will be to kill my father, though I do not relish the prospect_.

"What do you mean, kill Pitch?" Liz asked aloud, in spite of the fact that Mother Nature was not in fact present. "You said Pitch is a spirit, like the rest of the Guardians, right? Well, spirits are ageless and incredibly resistant to physical injuries. None of us knows how to kill one."

"But I do," Nuada replied, pointing over to his spear.

Jack shuddered at the sight of the spear, but even he had to concede Nuada's point.

"He's right," Jack said aloud. "That spear's not a normal weapon, guys. If it could kill me, it could definitely kill him."

Pitch had got to his feet by this point, whereupon Hiccup turned to face him again.

"You dare talk about me as if I am not here?" Pitch snarled. "You dare not fear me? I am the Boogeyman! I will make you fear me!"

Hiccup jumped headfirst at Pitch, swinging his sword at him; it passed right through him harmlessly, but even Pitch gasped at the heat of the blade. And then gagged and coughed as Hiccup threw a glass pellet of Zippleback gas into his face. As the cloud of green gas swirled around him, obscuring him from view, Toothless and Stormfly released a blast of fire into it. The gas ignited, throwing Pitch in the face of one of the Golden Soldiers, who fell to the ground in surprise at the sudden blow. When Pitch got up, his hair smoking and his face singed, he looked, ironically even blacker than before.

"Stop gassing me!" he shouted. "Why don't you fight fairly?"

"Because you don't either!" Hiccup said as he jumped forwards again, clashing burning sword against Nightmare sword, forcing the Boogeyman backwards. Pitch no longer looked as powerful as he had at the start of the fight. He looked, for the second time in all the time Jack had known him, afraid himself. But, judging by the fact that none of the Nightmares were running to attack him, he wasn't scared enough.

With a growl, one of the Dream Pirates- a big ugly creature with a pair of long curling horns like a ram, drew his sword and crept towards the two combatants, clearly planning on helping Pitch by underhand means.

"Hey, that's cheatin'!" Merida angrily objected. She fired an arrow at the Pirate's black head, but it just passed harmlessly through.

"Let me try," Mr. Wink replied, and he fired his mechanical fist from its socket. Like a fisherman's hook, he wound his metal fingers around the monster's legs, then swung his fist backwards and forwards, beating the Pirate into the ground repeatedly. After nine slams, the Pirate finally broke into a cloud of black sand and dissipated in the wind.

"Puny Dream Pirate," Jack growled in his best Hulk impression.

As the fight continued, Hiccup and Pitch had put their swords away by this point, and were just using their bare hands. Pitch had the advantage of being able to make himself unsolid and teleport around Hiccup, but Hiccup was persistent and determined. All his years of anger built up towards those who had belittled him and threatened his people- Snotlout, Dagur, the Red Death, and even Alvin the Treacherous- was channelled into his fists with each blow. Pitch showed no signs of giving up the fight, but he was seriously bruised now, his left eye blackened, and several of his teeth knocked out(Tooth was so angry with him right now, she didn't even bother giving him quarters).

And then, with a final _thwack_ , Hiccup delivered a blow that flipped Pitch onto his back, leaving him sprawled like an eel.

"That's for the Guardians," the young Viking said, before then dropping Inferno onto Pitch's chest, flat side down. "And that's for everyone else."

Astrid had a knowing laugh, which no-one else joined in with. Toothless had now left the group to approach his master, snarling at Pitch.

"Stay back Toothless," Hiccup replied, reaching over to Pitch's head and removing the Crown from it. "It's over now."

A shadow of Pitch's cold smile crept back into his face. "Or is it?" he asked unpleasantly.

He scooped up a handful of Nightmare sand, then shook it, so that it elongated into the shape of a small, sharp dagger. Hiccup narrowly jumped back as Pitch lunged upwards with it, grabbing him by the collar and pinning him to the ground in turn. Hiccup could not block the dagger now.

But someone else could. A flash of silver shot between the two combatants, blocking the shadowy blade a few inches from Hiccup's heart. The head of a spear. A spear held by two angry Elves.

Nuada's expression was far worse than that of total rage he wore upon his face in the presence of the BPRD. It was grief, hurt and complete betrayal. Even Nuala, who seemed far too gentle to hurt a living soul, stared daggers into Pitch's yellow eyes with her own.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, old friend," Pitch wheedled, trying to reason with the Elf prince even now. "This human is the enemy."

"Is he?" Nuada hissed. "Or are you? You filled my head with poisonous thoughts, _monster_. I became a traitor to my own people for your sake, I even wounded my own father, and now I find that it was not even for a good cause like you claimed."

"Your evil has gone on for too long, Pitch Black," Nuala added coldly. "Now you must die."

Pitch laughed scornfully. "I am fear personified, Elf-girl. You cannot kill fear."

"And we will not kill fear," Nuada agreed, with a vindictive expression in his eyes. "But we _will_ kill you!"

And at the same time as Pitch's yellow eyes widened, and he turned his dagger to stab upwards at the Elves, the royal siblings thrust their spear downwards, even as a flash of gold shot in front of the spear's tip before it went straight into the Nightmare King's flesh.

Pitch let out a horrible scream of agony, then threw Hiccup away from him with his remaining hand. The Viking looked back in shock at what was ensuing before him. Rapunzel had jumped between the two Elves and Pitch, and had received the dagger to the flank. But even as she sunk to her knees in pain, she had managed to wrap her hair around the head of Nuada's spear, so that its glowing strands were being pressed into the wound in Pitch's flesh. Golden light shot from Pitch's chest like fire, as he staggered to his feet, screaming like a Night Fury.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" he cried. "I CAN'T BE DEFEATED! NOT LIKE THIS! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

And then, the glowing gold fire ceased, and Nuada withdrew his spear like a whaler's harpoon, breathing heavily. For a few minutes, Pitch stood, shocked and clawing at the ink-like blood that ran from his chest where Nuada's spear had entered his heart. He turned to look at his Nightmare subjects, and then to the heroes. And then, with a soft groan, Pitch fell to the ground, with a resonating thud.

But it was not for Pitch that Eugene then broke free from the restraints of the group, running forwards helplessly, screaming " _RAPUNZEL!_ "

The princess of Corona lay coughing on her flank, the dagger had crumbled into black soot, leaving her with an ugly wound of the same colour. Rapunzel had pressed her hair against her flank, trying desperately to heal herself.

The rest of the group ran over to tend to her. Hellboy gazed numbly at the Princess' savage wound, Liz, Astrid and Merida had eyes filled with tears, and Toothless' pupils had widened to plaintive orbs.

"Why, Blondie?" Eugene croaked tearfully, tenderly grasping his wife's cheeks.

"Same reason… as Merida," Rapunzel whispered. "I couldn't… let them die."

"Why did you help us?" Nuala pleaded. "You do not know us as well as Merida. Why are we so special to you?"

Rapunzel reached out and took Nuala's hand. "Because, Nuala…you're Abe's new dream."

Touched by these words, Abraham did something he never thought he could do. He cried, shedding small tears from his large blue piscine eyes.

"Have courage, Sheila," Bunny said soothingly to the sweet-hearted royal he'd brought into the modern world what felt like so long ago. "We're gonna save ya. We owe ya that much."

" _Da_ ," North agreed. "Ve Guardians do not repay our oaths with treachery. Sandy vill help you heal yourself."

Smiling warmly, the Guardian of Dreams floated gently over to Rapunzel. Taking her hand in his own(which seemed almost comic due to his small hands), he guided it to her wound, and gestured to her to begin singing.

" _Flower, gleam and glow,_ " Rapunzel began, slowly at first, but gradually building in strength as her hair glowed; as she sung, Sandy began to glow himself, like an ice-cream cone made of fireflies. " _Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine._ "

And then a third voice joined in, one which was smooth and elegant, and male. " _Heal what has been hurt, change the Fates' design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine. What once…was mine._ "

And from across the chamber shot a streaming trail of golden vapour, seeping into Rapunzel's wound like the Forest God's blood had seeped into Jack's. As the golden light intensified, Rapunzel's wound shrank and began to close, until eventually, it was as though she had never been wounded at all.

Rapunzel gasped in fresh air, feeling her wound semi-consciously to check whether it was still there. And then, she looked over to see the person who had helped heal her.

It was Pitch. But he no longer looked like he once did. The ashen colour of his skin had softened to a friendly pink. His shadowy robes had dissolved into clothes more befitting the Coronan Captain of the Guard; gold epaulettes over a red tunic and black trousers, with numerous medals decorating his wounded chest. His black hair was a lighter, warmer shade now, his teeth no longer as pointed, and his eyes had changed from silver-yellow to pure chartreuse. Kneeling over _him_ was the figure of Mother Nature.

"You're safe now, Rapunzel," Pitch whispered, black blood staining his lips as he lay from where he spoke. "I hope you can forgive me for my crimes."

Rapunzel looked at Pitch in complete shock. "You saved my life," she said softly.

Pitch smiled bitterly. "A small way to thank you…for saving mine."

"But I didn't save you," Rapunzel replied.

"You did, Rapunzel. You restored my inner goodness, purged the foul taint of the Fearlings from my heart. I have lived in darkness for so long, Rapunzel. But now at last, I see the light. Now I can finally find peace."

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked incredulously.

Pitch looked up at him. "I may well have hated the Guardians, young Viking. But I could not hate them more than I hated myself. I could have used my powers for the good of mankind, as they have done, but instead I chose to drown myself in my own self-loathing and let it blind me to what is truly important. Now I must let a more worthy successor take my place."

He looked over to Mother Nature. "My daughter, Emily. Can you forgive me for my neglect of you? Can you forgive me for having gone so far astray?"

Mother Nature's viridian eyes were wet as she replied, "I do, father."

Pitch nodded sadly. "Then I am finally ready to see your mother again. I hope the judges of the underworld may show me mercy."

He looked over to the heroes. "Guardians, heroes. Take the Royal Crown. Destroy it. Do not let the evil of the Golden Army fall into anyone else's hands. If you destroy the Crown, you destroy the Army. And without the Army, the monsters of fear I have created will be killed as well. Will you do that?"

The group nodded firmly. "We will."

Pitch smiled faintly. "Then so passes Kozmotis Pitchiner, general of the Golden Armies."

His body glowed intensely, and Pitch crumbled into a cloud of white light, which swirled upwards and then passed straight through the rooftop of the great cavern, and disappeared completely.

Mother Nature got to her feet, her expression full of grief, and then she took a deep breath before turning to the heroes.

"Come, my friends," she said calmly. "Do not let my father's sacrifice be needless. The Golden Army must not be released."

And with this said, she then turned into a cloud of leaves and was gone.

Hiccup looked down at the thin metal band in his hands, which had cost so many lives to piece together. Had it been worthwhile for Pitch? Or even for Nuada?

"All that power…" he muttered quietly, looking down at the metal item. But Merida immediately snatched the crown from him.

"Dinnae touch tha' accursed thing, Hiccup," she growled. "The Crown will consume yer mind if ye try tae wear it. We need tae destroy it, an' quickly."

Upon seeing the agitated expressions of the surrounding Nightmares, Fearlings, and Dream Pirates, Hiccup immediately agreed.

"How do we destroy the Crown, though?" he asked. "We can't take it to pieces, or someone could just repair it again."

"Well, why not take the One Ring approach?" Jack asked.

"Which is?"

"Melt it," Jack replied simply, before taking the Crown from Merida and passing it into Liz' hands. Stormfly and Toothless gathered around her, and then, with deep concentration, Liz made her hands ignite. The two dragons released concentrated streams of fire from their mouths, and after a few seconds, the Crown started to glow under their attack.

With a panicking whinny, the Nightmares and the Golden Army began to charge forwards, but to no avail, as the Royal Crown slowly melted and dripped out of Liz' hands, finally consumed by dragon fire. It formed liquid metal puddles on the ground.

The Nightmares reared up on their back legs and let out loud neighs before their bodies slowly crumbled into black sand that spilled into the air. As they did so, Sandy created several long strands of Dreamsand, waving them towards the black sand and slowly purifying it. As he did so, the Fearlings inside the Golden Army howled in fury, but they then crumbled like smoke, and as they crumbled, the Golden Soldiers fell to their knees, their metal body parts falling off one by one, their red eyes ceasing to glow inside their heads, and oil spilling from their collapsing builds. Outside, the increasing clamour of metal continued outside the control room, showing that the rest of the Army shared this fate. When all the Fearlings were down, North then drew his swords and swung them in a neat arc, spraying the Dream Pirates with white sand, like the contents of one of his snow globes.

"Begone, Dream Pirates!" he shouted. "Return to the shadows, and do not return to this place again!"

A swirling portal opened behind the Dream Pirates, and a violent gust of Arctic wind from Jack then blew them backwards through it. They disappeared with a bellow of hatred, and then the portal closed again, leaving behind nothing but the molten gold left from the Royal Crown, and seventy times seventy giant automatons now lying in pieces.

"So, that's how you defeat an indestructible army," Bunny dryly remarked, pushing one of the Soldiers' heads with his foot to check it was shut down.

Hiccup turned to the group slowly, his head low.

"Come on, people," he said. "We've completed our quest. Now let's get out of this foul cave."

 **And there you are! The next-to-last chapter, in which Pitch is killed(don't know whether to be sad or happy about that), the Golden Army is finally shut down for good, and Nuada and Nuala are still alive! Woo-hooo! Please rate, review and you'll find out what happens next in the final chapter, coming soon!**

 **Sammael29**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 12: Freedom and farewells

 **This is it. After so long out of Fanfiction, The final chapter which defines the Big Four: The Golden Army. There will be laughter. Sadness. Heroism! ..Oh, sorry? Just tell the story already, why don't I? Here it is!**

Thirty minutes after the fall of Pitch Black, the group of heroes finally left behind the caverns of Bethmoora. Despite the subdued mood of the heroes(they had to kill a _father,_ for crying out loud!), they couldn't help but see a lighter side to things. As they walked back through the chambers, the dark interior of the Golden Army's forging place didn't seem so dark, nor the air so icy, and when they met the Goblin Blacksmith again, he looked as though he might jump out of his cart if he still had legs attached.

"So the Golden Army has finally been downed!" he cried with joy. "At last, the curse of my people is undone! Follow me, heroes. I've got a feeling things will be much different around here."

And as they reached the doorway of broken stone, which slid open before them, there was a large crowd of BPRD agents gathered outside. Manning was giving a live report to the crowd, and judging by the expression on his face when he turned to see Hellboy, he was still sore about their unauthorized leave of absence.

"You! You took that plane without permission, young man!" he snapped vividly. "Do you have any idea how much red tape I'll have to cut through once this story makes the headlines?"

"Glad to see you too, Manning," Hellboy replied with a sarcastic grin. "You're here to help, as always. Which means I don't need to feel so guilty about doing this."

He removed his munitions belt and his guns before walking over to the director and slapping them into his hands.

Manning looked like he'd been slapped in the face- he certainly had been on multiple occasions- and looked incredulously at what his hands now contained. "What- what does this mean?" he stuttered. "What are you doing?"

"Ain't it obvious?" Hellboy jibed. "I'm quitting the BPRD. I've had enough hiding from people and taking orders from you. Time for me to live life on my own terms."

As he walked off, Manning squeaked "What? Are you serious?"

"Looks that way, doesn't it?" Liz added, giving Manning her own belt and guns.

"What's wrong with you?" Manning indignantly whined. "You can't all just quit!"

"Watch us, Manning," Abe replied as he returned his own supplies accompanied with a patronizing cheek-pat.

"And anyway, so what if we are?" Jack asked, as he walked over to return his own standard issue BPRD bullet-proof vest and weapons. "You've never liked working with Hellboy anyway, Tom. You hate this job, trying to hide the "freaks" and "monsters" from the public eye."

"But it's the only job I've got!" Manning whimpered, as he was slowly buried under an increasing pile of clothing and guns supplied by Rapunzel, Eugene, Astrid and Hiccup.

"Sae get a new one, ye big bald daftie," Merida replied, dropping her heavy-duty rifle-bow into Manning's arms with such weight that he collapsed to the ground. Hellboy then walked back to Manning and picked up the Samaritan.

"On second thoughts," he said, "I think I'll keep this. No need to get up."

Manning did get up, though, unceremoniously dropping the guns and clothes he was now carrying. "Johann, they can't do this! Stop them!"

Dr. Krauss glared at him from behind his glassy helmet. "Dr. Manning, you are a bureaucrat, a sycophant and an annoyance. Kiss my ectoplasmic backside!" And he did something surprisingly unorthodox and displayed the back of his finger before walking off to join the rest of the group.

"Why, Mr. Krauss!" Rapunzel remarked in faux outrage. "I didn't know you could be that vulgar!"

"I learnt it from ze best, your Highness," Krauss replied. "It turns out vot I needed vas a bit more of…all zis." He pointed at all the Big Four.

"You just pointed at all of us," Jack said quietly, in respect of Hiccup's own catchphrase.

"Vell, most of you. Not Rapunzel, she cannot insult anyvone to save a life."

" _But all of you, Rapunzel included, are worthy of respect, children_ ," an old, powerful voice spoke in Gaelic to the group. Hiccup turned first, and his mouth widened in surprise at what he saw.

A few feet away from the BPRD group, there stood a small procession of Bethmooran Elves dressed in red, accompanied by a crowd of Butcher Guards, Peistes, and with two gigantic people at the back. One was La Muerte. The other was a huge orange man with curly white hair and a large beard. The Candle-Maker. At the head of the procession strode King Balor Silverarm.

"Father," Nuala respectfully bowed her head.

Balor smiled graciously, before separating from the rest of the procession to join the small company. " _I've heard a lot about you, the fabled Big Four_." Merida didn't dare whisper translations for her friends, but instead Nuala spoke telepathically to them. " _Jack Frost, the bringer of winter, you have honoured us by choosing to fight the Nightmare King not once but twice now. Rapunzel, healer of Corona, you saved both my children's lives, even at the risk of losing your own. And you, my dearest Merida, and prince Hiccup…_ "

He walked over to the Scot and the Viking, his honey-yellow eyes creased with cheer. " _I thank you both, for your actions on the behalf of Bethmoora and all mankind. For now the Golden Army cannot be used again, and we need live no longer in the shadow of Pitch's fear!_ "

Hiccup did not object to the warm hug the Elven King pulled him and Merida both into. He smelt of fresh herbs and bay leaves, and even the cold metal of his silver arm didn't get through to Hiccup's skin.

As Balor released them, Merida looked slightly teary. It had only been a few days since the last time she'd seen King Balor, and meeting the old Elf again brought back so many happy memories.

Toothless and Stormfly were busy sniffing the Butcher Guards, who, surprisingly enough, were very gentle towards dragons, nuzzling their scaled heads with beaked helmets.

" _It's good to see you again, Father,_ " Nuala said. " _We have all been heroes today, even Nuada…_ " she caught herself abruptly, turning to look at her brother. Nuada's expression seemed somewhat downcast.

" _Thank you for reminding me, dearest Nuala_ ," Balor replied, before walking over to his son. Nuada looked like he might melt with guilt on the spot. The silver hand laid on his shoulder was gentle yet firm, like the voice of its owner.

" _You proved to ultimately change your fate, my son_ ," Balor said. " _You ultimately realized the Nightmare King's treachery and chose to destroy the Army. But that does not change the fact that it was you who set out to raise the Army in the first place, blinded by your hatred of mankind. For this, you must do penance._ "

"I- I understand, Father," Nuada responded, placing his own hand on his shoulder. "I will gladly accept imprisonment for my crimes. It is no less than I deserve."

At that point, Dr. Krauss interrupted. "Viz all due respect, _mein Kaiser_ , perhaps it vould be best if ze Prince Nuada takes up vork viz ze BPRD. I don't doubt zat he might know of ozzer Elven clans hiding in ze vorld. Togezzer, we can eliminate evil and bring balance and nature and beauty back into our lives. How does zat sound?"

"I think it's a good idea, Dr. Krauss," King Balor said with a smile.

Merida's jaw dropped. "Whit the- he just- ye can speak English?" she looked incredulously at King Balor.

"Of course I can, Merida," the Elven King replied nonchalantly. "I just prefer not to. Now, as you were, Nuada… are you ready to begin your penance?"

Nuada nodded graciously, then turned to walk over to Manning and the BPRD crowd.

"Wait!" Merida called. She ran over to the Elf prince until they were evenly lined up, then sharply pinched Nuada's ear(mentally apologizing to Nuala as she did so).

"Ow!" Nuada cried as she released her grip. "What was that for?"

"That was fer tryin' tae kill us, ye great haggis-brained nump!" Merida growled, before then grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him in. "An' this… is fer helpin' us."

And Merida pressed her lips onto Nuada's white cheek with surprising tenderness. A lot of the group watched this in surprise: Toothless' mouth dropped open in a, well, _toothless_ gape, Sandy made a question mark above his hand and rubbed the Dreamsand out of his eyes, while Rapunzel giggled quietly at the sight. On her shoulder, a small Tooth Fairy(the Black Forest kind, one of the few to survive the battle of the Causeway) tentatively leaned over to kiss Pascal's cheek, but the unimpressed chameleon simply punched him in the face( _where have I seen that before_? Jack thought).

Even Nuada himself had turned red at Merida's kiss(which, in combination with his natural white coloration, made him look like a pink flower). He smiled a little awkwardly as Merida pulled away.

"Good luck wi' yer new job, Nuada," Merida grinned, with a gentle shoulder punch.

The two of them laughed heartily as Nuada walked off to join the BPRD, while Merida walked back over to the group. Hellboy had an annoyingly knowing look on his big red face.

"Well, well," he drawled. "See you've found yourself a new flame, huh, Ginger? Didn't think he was your type."

"Kindly shut yer drivellin' trap, Red," Merida curtly responded, her own face threatening to turn crimson.

"Or what?" Hellboy continued his jibe. " _Merida and Nuada sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!_ "

Merida dropped her bow and ran at the demon. "I'LL FLAMIN' WELL KILL YE, YE CHEEKY BIG IMP!" she screamed in mock fury, only to be restrained by the stern arms of Astrid Hofferson.

"Wrong time, Merida," Astrid warned. "You can't win this fight."

"Yeah, go on and protect him, fine by me," Hiccup teased. "By the way, Milady, Red here was just telling me to thank you for teaching him how to make Yaknog!"

Astrid's eyes widened in shock. "But I never taught…He ripped off my recipe?" at once she turned red as well, and started struggling forwards. "LET ME GO! I'M GONNA KILL HIM!"

"I'M KILLIN' HIM FIRST, VIKING LASS! GET BACK!" Merida snarled back, both girls trying to run forwards and stop one another running forwards at the same time.

Jack and Hiccup laughed soundly at the sight of this. "Ah, I've missed this," the one-legged Viking sighed.

"Me too, Hicc, me too," Hellboy added. He then turned to face the two smiling Mexican gods who stood out among the crowd. "So…I'm guessing you're La Muerte, huh? And the Candle Maker?"

"Uh huh!" the big yellow god agreed enthusiastically in his deep, upbeat voice. "We were watchin' over you that whole fight, kids. And I gotta admit, that…was completely SHA-BOOM-TASTIC!"

"Indeed," La Muerte followed up. "We saw how you fought, heroes, and we approved of it all. Hellboy, that way you held your own with Nuada! Such daring enthusiasm! And that rendition of the Apology Song! Why, I haven't heard such enchanting tunes since dear Manolo first fought that bull in the arena!"

"It was so nailbitin', I nearly dropped my churros!" the Candle Maker butted in, then blushed and lowered his head. "Uh, sorry, ma'am."

"That's quite alright, Candelabro(Spanish for candelabra- yes, It's my name for the Candle Maker)," La Muerte replied, her smile gracious. "The point we are making is, we are honoured to have met such brave and unique heroes. And such great deeds must be rewarded, no?"

Hiccup nearly dropped his sword. "You're going to bless us?"

La Muerte laughed, a sweet, lilting sound. "Not us, _mi hijos_. The Candle Maker and I simply bear the gifts to you. But it is the Tuatha de Dannan- sorry, the Celtic gods, _your_ gods, Merida, and Nuada's too, I should say, who have given us the gifts. For today is a day of triumph over evil and chaos, and you have earned the right to relax a little. First, I will bless you, sweet Nuala…"

The black-haired underworld goddess walked over to Nuala, passing a hand under the Elf princess' chin in deep waves. She murmured a few words in Spanish- or an older language- and then straightened up to her impressive height of two meters.

"I… I don't feel any different," Nuala said cautiously, inspecting her hands.

"You shouldn't," La Muerte replied. "For all I have done is tamper with the Banna na Anamacha; now the bond between you and your brother is lessened, yet still remains. You can still read his thoughts, and he yours, but you will no longer share each other's pain."

"Wait, you mean….?" Abe began, his piscine eyes widening in surprise.

"Yes," the goddess confirmed. "Nuada and Nuala's lives are no longer connected to one another. A little fiddling on Dian Cecht's behalf, but partially due to Aonghus taking such an interest in your romance with dear Abraham."

"What?" Nuala turned to look at Abe. The piscine humanoid looked cowed.

"Forgive me, Nuala," he said. "I should have told you how I felt earlier, but I never had the right chance…"

Nuala reached out. "Give me your hand," she cut him off, and Abe placed his own webbed palm against hers. For a moment Nuala's golden eyes closed, as she combed his mind with her touch, and then they reopened, and her expression was deeply touched.

"It's beautiful," she whispered. And then Elf and Ichthyan leaned forwards and captured each other's lips in a tender grip.

A collective " _aaaaaaawwwwww_ " swept across the group. All the resident couples reached for each other's hands(including Jack and Tooth).

La Muerte then left the new lovers to their embrace before walking over to Hellboy.

"To you, demon and hero," she said. "I can give little save this; a simple blessing from the Fomorians, and rare things those are too."

She reached out and touched his stone hand with her own fingers, lifting his arm; and as the Big Four watched in awe, a golden glow spread down Hellboy's arm, and the pieces of stone that comprised it began to fall off and drop to the ground with soft thuds. Hellboy's own expression turned from panic to surprise as his arm ceased to glow, now no longer a massive granite sledgehammer, but a normal human(or at least demon) arm of flesh and blood, the same size and shape as his left arm. It was so new to him to have two organic arms that he kept turning it, clenching and unclenching hands and fingers, and checking its joints.

"Um, La Muerte?" Jack asked. "I appreciate the cosmetic statement, but why does Hellboy have two normal arms now?"

"The answer is simple, Jack Frost," La Muerte replied. "Hellboy's right hand was the key to releasing the Ogdru Jahad, true? Well, now that he no longer has that stone hand, there is no key, and the Ogdru Jahad can never be set free. They will spend the rest of their monstrous lives imprisoned by the gods, unable to terrorise mankind again."

"How about that, then?" Bunny asked brightly, patting the big demon on the back. "What do you think, mate?"

"I dunno, Bunny," Hellboy replied, feeling a faint sense of loss for the weapon he had carried on his body for so long. "I might have to get used to it."

"Oh, I'm sure you vill," Dr. Krauss chirped from his strange glassy helmet. "I took far longer to get used to all _zis_." He pointed at his own strange gas-built body.

La Muerte turned to Jack and Rapunzel. "Son of winter and daughter of Corona, you already bear your gifts from the Tuatha; the frost of the Cailleach, and the healing touch of Lugh. So I hope you don't feel insulted if I choose not to reward you further."

"I'm fine with that," Rapunzel replied. "Any more special powers, and I think Jack's neck would snap under the weight of his gigantic head."

"Watch it, Punzie," Jack retorted, but only half-heartedly.

"In fact," the goddess continued, "It's only fair that Candelabro should give the rest of you your gifts, since it was _his idea in the first place_." She spoke the last part with thin sarcasm.

"Awesome! I'm havin' a go now!" the orange cloud-bearded god bustled over to Eugene's flank, his mouth spread in a Cheshire Cat grin. "Now you there… Flynn Rider, ain't it, sonny? I'm sure I got me some crowbars an' stashin' sacks on my person you can put to good use."

"Um, just so you know, I'm not a thief anymore," Eugene replied uncomfortably, not wanting to remember his former life as a selfish bandit.

"Ah, I'm just jokin' with ya, _amigo_!" the guardian of the Book of Life replied, nudging Eugene in the stomach with one waxy elbow. "I'm nothin' if I ain't a joker! Anyway, here's _my_ first gift- a li'l blessin' from Nemglan, god of birds… Lemme just see…"

He blew a gust of cloud into Eugene's hair, sending it wild. Eugene tentatively opened one eye to look at his hand, making plucking motions as if to remove unwanted dirt.

"Ok, I'm not gonna turn into a bird or anything like that, am I?" the handsome former thief said, eliciting a few laughs from his friends.

"NAAAAAAH!" the big golden god over-elongated his "nah" before giving Eugene a friendly shoulder-bump. "Nemglan don't go around turnin' people into birds, man! He just gives people the most useful powers any bird could have. An' in your case, he gives ya the speed of the fastest bird alive, the Peregrine Falcon!"

"Wait, you mean I've got… super-speed?" Eugene asked, glancing over at his friends to check he'd heard right.

"Sure thing, buddy!" the Candle-Maker agreed. "I would explain why you're gonna need it later on…" he broke off, seeing La Muerte waving her hands and shaking her head at him. "Buuuuuut, showin' is tellin', an' the gods know it ain't my job to tell too much! Just for now, why doncha try it out?"

Eugene nodded eagerly, then started a healthy jog around the former BPRD agents. Or at least it was what he'd call a healthy jog, compared to all the frantic running around Corona he used to do, but to Hiccup, it was like watching a Speed Stinger chasing a rabbit- Eugene was a blur of footsteps and colour, accompanied by a little gust of wind as he ran circles around Hiccup three times, then came to an abrupt halt. Everyone had incredulous gaping mouths.

"Hah…You should see your faces," Eugene panted softly as he paused to take it in. "Because you guys look…" he broke off as a rough hand tapped him on the shoulder, then turned to face one of the Butcher Guards, its beak-shaped helmet poking into his face as it raised a huge sword over its head.

"R-r-ridiculous…" Eugene whimpered, before closing his eyes in fear. But instead of feeling a fatal blow, he felt something large and hard being slipped into his hands, then opened his eyes to see the Bethmooran warrior's huge rectangular sword in his grip.

"Ok, what was that for?" he asked, narrowly stopping himself from falling over beneath the weight of the sword.

"To keep a pin in your big ego, boy," the Butcher Guard replied, in a harsh croak of a voice(which was surprising to everyone, even Merida, who'd never heard a Butcher Guard speak in all the years she'd known the people of Bethmoora).

"Uh…thanks, I guess," the bearded prince replied, before slowly trying to tuck the big sword and its scabbard into his belt(it was like trying to carry half a ton of Rapunzel's frying pans).

Maximus (who had finally been allowed to leave behind the Guardian's Christmas car once he heard his friends returning from the cave) ran over eagerly to receive his own gift, along with little Pascal. (though ultimately, the only gift they received was a kiss on the head from Nuala, which made both of them turn red)

"And the final three, now," King Balor interrupted, walking over to Merida, his almost-granddaughter, and her two Viking friends, complete with dragons.

"For you, Merida, who hold a place in my heart matched only by my children," the Elven King spoke, "the Tuatha have given me direct permission to bless you myself."

"They have?" Merida asked, surprised by this, since Balor's own magic levels were still very low since his healing.

"Indeed," Balor agreed, reaching into his tunic to produce a small gold ring. "This is an heirloom of the Dagda himself, entrusted to me so that you may put its power to good use. Use it wisely…"

Nodding dumbly, Merida reached out towards the ring. Its surface was engraved with small images of bears and ravens, something which Merida suspected involved the hand of the woodcarver/witch, but what was more interesting was that, as she gently touched it, she could hear a faint chiming noise, almost like flutes on the wind. As Merida touched it, her whole spine(as she would put it later on) dramatically tensed up, and it felt as though her limbs were stiffening like stretched rope; then she relaxed again, and allowed the ring to slip onto her finger.

It was only then that she noticed Rapunzel, Hiccup and the rest staring at her in awe.

"Uh, do I have somethin'… on me face?" she asked tentatively.

"I wouldn't put it like that, Merida," Jack replied. "It's more like something on your arms…and your legs… and your whole body in general."

Merida querulously lifted one of her arms in front of her face, and gasped at what she saw before her. Where once Merida's arms were strong enough to lift her up the Crone's Tooth, but still slender enough to be unremarkable, now they were packed with enough muscle to lift a wolf off the ground by one hand. Her legs, by the feel of them, had become similarly strengthened, she could see a little higher from the ground, and when she rolled up her shirt around the stomach, she saw an impressive six-pack that was never there before. She was nowhere near as gigantic as her father, perhaps, or Young Macguffin, but Merida was definitely stronger than before.

"Yes," King Balor agreed. "The Dagda is the god of strength, young hero, and this is why he has seen fit to increase your own. Again, I am forbidden to say why."

"Well, me da will probably like it, an' sae do I," Merida murmured, flexing her arms repeatedly to check they were really this big. She glanced up at Nuala, and the Elf princess gave her friend a thumbs up from Abe's turquoise arms.

"Now, my young Vikings," Balor spoke, turning to Astrid and Hiccup. "I nearly forgot my gift to you. Here you are…"

And he unfurled his flesh-and-blood hand and took out three small leaves, the colour of Toothless' scales, before gently rubbing them across three brows- the young Vikings and the Night Fury. Hiccup caught a faint smell of gorgeous herbal odour as the leaves left his head.

"Ok, I could swear those aren't Berk leaves, or any leaves I'm familiar with," he said wryly.

"And you're right," King Balor agreed. "These are leaves from the gardens of the Dragon Gods, the patrons of all fire-breathers."

Hiccup felt giddy. "There are Dragon _Gods_?"

"You wouldn't believe how many, but yes. They have gifted you, young hero, for these herbs give those who touch them the power to assume the form of any dragon known to man, so that you may slowly come to understand them even better."

"So we're…what, Skin-changers now?" Astrid asked.

"You could call it that," was the Elf's reply.

"And what about Toothless?" Hiccup asked. "What will your power do for him?"

As if in response, Balor pointed to the black dragon's tail, which now sported two tail fins of midnight black, instead of the red canvas prosthetic which Hiccup had been accustomed to.

"He can fly again?" Hiccup was feeling the seeds of joy building in his stomach. "Toothless can fly again?"

"Well, I hope so!" Balor chortled. "You can't steer his tail fins while in the form of a dragon yourself, can you?"

Hiccup was so taken aback, he looked down at his left leg to check whether that, too, had grown back. But no such luck. It didn't really matter, Hiccup consoled himself. To him, this metal-and-wooden prosthetic was a sign of experience, and he didn't want everything to be too perfect for him. But then, if he could turn into a dragon, wouldn't his leg fall off just when he needed it?

"I assure you, Hiccup, there's no need to panic," a certain psychic piscine said, having moved back over to Hiccup's side with his new girlfriend. "My analysis suggests the prosthetic will change size and shape with your body in order to keep the balance. It can even become a part of your tail if the dragon you choose to become hasn't got legs."

"Did you just read my mind?" Hiccup asked.

Abe rolled his big eyes. "I don't even need to answer that, Hiccup."

Overcome by sheer joy at everything, Hiccup threw himself forwards to embrace Abe, ignoring the smell of wet fish and leather as all the cumulative emotions of fear and anger and grief and finally elation rushed through him. And to his credit, Abe didn't hold back either, even as he was gradually swamped with a further rush of arms from the rest of the heroes.

After a few moments' hectic hugging, Hiccup then broke away from the group to look at the big friendly demon for whom they were all brought together. "So, what happens now?"

"Pardon?"

"With you and Liz," Hiccup asked. "Now that you're no longer in the BPRD, what are you guys gonna do for a living? Come to think of it, where are you gonna live?"

"Well, remember what I said before?" Hellboy replied. "About you and me going to live together anywhere, Liz?"

The pyrokinetic nodded.

"Well, I'm thinking of visiting a place in the countryside," Hellboy continued. "Clean air, sheep in the distance, fresh green grass on the hills. And a yard with lots of room to grow in. I might even pop that special question. It'll be a great place for us to bring up the baby."

"Babies," Liz corrected.

Hiccup did a double take. "Did you just say…babies, Liz? Babies as in plural?"

"Yeah, I did," Liz agreed nonchalantly. "I should've told you guys earlier. I'm pregnant with twins."

"Oh, my gosh, Liz!" Rapunzel cried, bouncing over to pull her black-haired friend into a hug. "That's amazing!" She tried to mask some small tears of jealousy coursing down her cheeks.

"Oh, it is," North agreed in his jolly Russian accent. "Vone of zem is a boy, ze other vone is a girl."

Hellboy's yellow eyes widened. "How do you know this, North?"

The Guardian of Christmas chuckled gently. "Betveen you and me, Hellboy," he mock-whispered, "my eyes can see a lot more zan just vonder."

Merida and Nuala broke out into shamelessly snorty chortles at this point.

"But what about you guys?" Hellboy added, as soon as he had recovered from the awe of realising he'd have two babies instead of one. "The Guardians? Jack told me it's your life's work to defend the children of the world from the fear of Pitch. Now Pitch is dead, what are you gonna do?"

"Oh, some new enemy will most likely appear, mate," E. Aster Bunnymund replied very casually. "We Guardians have a lot more enemies than you might think. And so long as they're around, we'll protect the children of the world. And we'll keep giving them hope, and wonder, and dreams."

"And perhaps, as Pitch himself recommended," North continued, "ve should use zhe power of fear as something for children to learn from? Goodness knows ve could do vith a new Guardian of Fear…I hear zhat Jack Skellington in Halloween Town is up for the job."

"Speaking of which," Tooth turned to Jack. "Where do we go from here, Jack?"

"What are you talking about, Tooth?" Jack asked.

"Well, now that we've established our feelings, what are we gonna do about them?" the Guardian of Memories continued agitatedly. "I mean, I know you're a free spirit, you don't like to be tied down to anything, but I have a regular night-time job, seven continents, millions of kids… I don't know how I'd spare the time to get together with…"

Jack gently cut her off by pressing his pale lips over hers. "You worry too much, Tooth, babe," he chided softly, as he pulled back. "Relax. Learn to live a little. Besides, I'm a winter spirit. I hardly think I'll be too busy to miss out on a night out. What I'm basically saying is…" He got down on one knee and took Tooth's elegant hand. "Princess Toothiana, Guardian of Memory, I, Jackson Overland Frost, love you. Can I say something crazy? Will you go out with me?"

"Oh, Jack," Tooth sighed. Over her shoulder, Eugene sniggered behind one hand.

"He's being way too over-the-top with his proposal," the prince of Corona whispered to his wife.

"Sshh," Rapunzel gently elbowed him in the ribs.

"And then, sometime after that… will you marry me?" Jack looked up, his pure blue eyes wide with anticipation.

Tooth's lips parted in an overjoyed grin. "Can I say something even crazier? Yes!" And she swept Jack off the ground in a hug, peppering his face with kisses. The Guardians cheered loudly, North and the Yetis doing arm dances, Bunny shouting "I KNEW YOU HAD THE GUTS TO ASK HER, FROSTBITE!" and Sandy creating fireworks from his Dreamsand and letting them off.

Jack and Tooth smiled warmly at each other, ignorant to all else for a few moments. Then Jack quickly realized something and broke apart from Tooth.

"Well, congratulations, Merida!" he cheerfully remarked, flying over to shake hands with the Scottish princess. "Out of the four of us, you are now the only one who still hasn't got hitched! When are you gonna settle down?"

"Oh, stick yer nose out of me love life, Snowcap!" Merida retorted, shoving him backwards by his head. The rest of the Four had a good laugh at this point.

But then Hiccup looked up to see the Candle-Maker looking at them expectantly, and then he walked over to the huge golden figure.

"Hey, Candle-Maker," he asked curiously. "As glad as I am to see a friendly face, I feel like you didn't come here just to give us magic gifts. You have another reason for being here."

The Mexican god nodded seriously. "We came to tell y'all somethin'… You've done brilliant with the BPRD, Big Four. You've defeated the evil of Rasputin an' the Golden Army, an' you've changed the fate of our dear elf twins. But now you've completed your task in the modern world. It's time for y'all to return to your native time periods."

Hellboy overheard this and walked over, followed quickly by the rest of the BPRD (including Manning). "Hiccup. Is this true?" he had a confused expression. "You're leaving us?"

"Well, to be more precise, _they_ are," the Candle-Maker replied, pointing to the groups of Merida, Hiccup, Astrid, and their dragons, and Eugene, Rapunzel, and their pets. "But your friend Jackie boy ain't goin' anywhere. He was born in the ancient times, sure, but he's a spirit of the modern age now, just as much as the rest of the Guardians."

Hiccup sighed, then turned to face his four paranormal friends. "Hellboy, Liz, Abe, Dr. Krauss… you guys are some of the best friends we could ever hope to meet. But me, Merida, and Rapunzel- and all our other friends- we don't belong in this time period. We have other friends and family waiting for us back home, friends whom we've known not for five years, but for all our lives. And now, we need to go back to them. We've put off this reunion long enough."

Hellboy was quiet for a few moments, as though the full weight of what Hiccup was saying had yet to sink in on him, and then, the big demon stumbled forwards, his arms outstretched. Hiccup said nothing, he simply embraced his friend and both allowed themselves to weep. Minutes later, the rest of the group were similarly swamped; Eugene hugged Abe, Liz hugged Rapunzel, and Nuala hugged Merida.

Jack Frost didn't know he could cry himself up until then. Little white tears ran down his cheek as he pulled Astrid the shieldmaiden into his own arms. Even the legless Goblin Blacksmith clung to Toothless' upper shin in a surprisingly tender manner. Toothless looked mildly annoyed for a few seconds, then started licking him in response, until his sand-coated skin was now sticky with dragon spit.

Hellboy and Hiccup finally pulled apart, the red-skinned supernatural detective with a bittersweet smile. "When me and Liz have our kids, I'm naming our boy after you and Jack, Hiccup," he said. "The bravest, smartest Guardian and Viking I've ever known."

"Hey, thanks, bud," Hiccup replied with his humble smile.

Liz took longer to extricate herself from Rapunzel's arms, as she tearily whispered, "And I'll name our girl after you and Merida- the kindest, sweetest, most daring princesses ever."

Rapunzel's own eyes were like wet marbles by this point, imagining whether she'd feel like this if she and Eugene had their own baby.

Even the rest of the Guardians looked equally sad; North and his Yetis were unashamedly weeping into their handkerchiefs, Sandman had little rivulets disrupting the sand-like texture of his skin, and even Bunny didn't look as annoyingly cocky and aloof as Jack had known him to be.

"So, I guess this is the last time I'll see you guys, huh?" the Guardian of Fun himself said, walking over to his friends from the past. "I only wish we could've known each other for longer…"

"Hold that thought, white-haired boy," the Candle-Maker interrupted, "'cos I got some good news as well!"

And he then reached inside his robes and pulled out a handful of two metre-long glass staffs, filled with sand: the Sand-staves Jack and the Guardians had first used to travel to the 12th and 18th centuries and bring back Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel back to the modern age. But alongside these, he held a handful of small gold pendants, shaped like little clocks and attached to chains.

"Whoa," Jack murmured. "What are these little clocks?"

"Gifts from Father Time, li'l brother!" the Candle-Maker replied. "See, your journey with the BPRD is complete, children. But you've still got plenty of adventure-type things to do as the Big Four. _So listen up, when the time is right for the young heroes four to reunite, then wind up those pendants, put 'em to the test, and you'll all meet up for a brand new quest!_ "

He finished his song with a neat flourish of his yellow arms, smiling poetically.

"So… if we want to meet Merida, Hiccup and Jack again, we use these pendants to travel to their own times?" Rapunzel asked. It was a lot to get her head around, but still worth knowing.

"That's about the size of it, yeah."

"OK… THAT'S GREAT!" Rapunzel squealed enthusiastically, as she bounced over to accept her own pendant and Sand-stave. Quickly afterwards, the rest of the Four each took their own pendants and staves. However, Merida was more hesitant, looking back over her shoulder to find her two favourite Elf siblings standing close behind her.

"It's not the last time you'll see _us,_ you know, Merida," Nuala replied. "We Elves live for many centuries. You may well meet us again at some point when you go back home."

"An' what then?" Merida asked. "Th' Golden Army is still alive back in me own time. An' ye're still at war wi' the world, Nuada. Whit will I do when I meet ye again?"

"Find me," the Elf-Prince replied. "Teach my past self what you have taught me now- that not all humans are bad, that our land must be reclaimed by peaceful means. And if you find the Golden Army, destroy it, so that this can never happen again."

Merida nodded, then gasped as Nuada drew his silver lance and pressed it into her own palm. "Keep it, as a gift. I think you'll need it more than I will."

Merida chuckled and slapped him on the shoulder. "Take care of yerself, Nuada."

"And you, Merida," he replied. "May we meet again, in the past."

Merida smiled, then kissed his cheek for a second time, ignoring a cheeky "OOOOOHHHHHH!" from a certain white-haired boy, before giving Nuala a hug. As they moved back, Merida then thoughtfully slipped Nuada's lance back into her quiver, admiring its weight and balance.

"I'm more used tae fightin' wi' a sword than a lance, but it seems guid," she remarked.

Just then, Hiccup noticed that although both he, his girlfriend and his four new friends now held both a magic pendant and a Sand-stave, the Candle-Maker still had two to hand( their animal friends just wore their pendants around their necks).

"Uh, should I be wondering who that last pair of magic items are for?" he asked, only to then hear heavy footsteps behind him.

"They are for me, little Viking," growled the deep voice of Mr. Wink. The gigantic Cave Troll, despite his many scars and horrific twisted eye, looked more cheerful than Hiccup had ever seen him, as he lightly took the golden talisman and the glass staff in his huge mismatched hands. "I'm coming back to Berk with you."

Hiccup did a double take. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm coming back to your home," the Troll replied. "For I no longer wish to hide from mankind, Viking. I will return to your village, and show that they do not have to live in fear of us, and then perhaps mankind will learn to live with the rest of our kind. Just like your people live alongside the dragons, _ya?_ "

Most people would refuse the opportunity to take a giant troll home with them, but Hiccup was not most people. So he said, "Sure. Welcome to the family, brother Wink!"

The big Troll laughed, a deep, liquid sound, then walked over to stand behind the Berk group, placing a heavy arm over Astrid and Hiccup's shoulders. Hiccup nearly collapsed under the weight of the massive metal prosthetic, but then straightened himself again. He looked outwards, to face his new friends, and smiled sadly as he took everything in; Hellboy and Liz tenderly holding hands, Abe and Nuala outstretching their own to wave, and the Guardians all grouped together with expressions that weren't as sad.

"Goodbye, Hiccup," Hellboy called croakily. "Send us back a souvenir."

"Sure thing, big guy," Hiccup replied. "Jack, next time we meet, tell us what the babies look like!"

"Whoa, Hiccup, I'm taking my thing with Tooth slow, thanks," Jack replied, earning him an elbow to the stomach from his girlfriend in question.

"I meant Hellboy and Liz' babies, Jack," Hiccup jibed.

"Oh, sorry," Jack blushed, which made his pale face look almost like normal complexion.

La Muerte and the Candle-Maker then walked over like flight instructors, the latter grinning eagerly.

"Ok, we all ready to go?" he said. "Then here's a recap. First, each of you form a circle (except you, Merida, you're ridin' this thing solo). Then, shake your Staves until the sand starts swirlin' like wild."

Hiccup took his own Stave and shook strong and hard. The sand danced and spiralled inside the glass like the blossoms of the dragonwood tree back on Berk.

"Then, speak the name of the time and place you wish to visit, and smash your Stave down hard!"

Hiccup lifted his staff above his head, and shouted aloud in time with Astrid. "BERK, DENMARK! 12TH CENTURY!"

"DUNBROCH, SCOTLAND! 12TH CENTURY!" Merida chimed in, her hair starting to blow in the wind like Boudicca.

"CORONA, GERMANY! 18TH CENTURY!" Eugene and Rapunzel called in musical precision.

And then, the clearing echoed with the loud crack and tinkle of six metre-long glass Staves being slammed into the ground with such strength that they split and shattered into multiple fragments, releasing the pure green sand contained within them, which began to slowly circle around them until it looked like they were caught in a desert storm.

Straining his eyes through the wind and grit, Hiccup focused on the crowd beyond the sand, at all his friends watching in awe; at Hellboy, at Liz, at Abe and the Elf twins and Dr. Krauss, and most of all at Jack and the rest of the Guardians.

Hiccup allowed a daring smile to creep into his emerald eyes. "See you around, Jack," he whispered to himself.

And then the green sand rushed up and engulfed each of the three groups in round jade domes; they spun wildly for a few seconds, then the sand scattered to the wind, revealing nothing behind within them.

Dr. Johann Krauss sighed and opened a small valve on his helmet, allowing a small white teardrop to escape and roll on his gloved hands. "Ah, I'm going to miss zose children," he said.

Berk, 12th Century.

Gobber the Belch was busy at work in his beloved forge, using his prosthetic hammer hand to beat a piece of red-hot metal into shape while his eyes were shielded from the flying sparks by a small metal visor covering the top of his head. Behind him, his big lazy dragon Grump slept with a contented expression on his scaled face.

Gobber was a strong and solid figure, like most Vikings, and considered himself completely unflappable. Having repeatedly survived an ongoing battle with the near-legendary Boneknapper dragon, escaped the den of an angry bear with nothing but his undies and his dignity undamaged, and even faced down a gigantic Outcast with breath that stank of blood and Yaknog, few things scared Gobber.

So, upon feeling a rush of wind from behind his back, and threaten to blow the helmet off his head, he immediately responded by removing his visor, turning around and glaring at his dragon.

"I've already told ye, Grump, ye're not supposed tae stand vithin five metres of me on an upset stomach," he began, before observing the big Hotburple(who was now very awake and shaking his head) pointing with one short leg behind him.

Gobber curiously followed the dragon's fingers(claws) with his eyes, until they reached a familiar prosthetic foot(and three more non-prosthetic feet) and six scaled legs, before finally stopping at the four familiar heads of a pair of dragons and a pair of Berk teens, one of whom he'd worked with amiably ever since he was small.

"Astrid?" the blacksmith murmured. "Hiccup?" And then his face broke into a crooked grin and he threw wide his arms. "Ye've come back! Just like ye said ye vould! Velcome home!"

"Good to be back, Gobber," Hiccup replied, joining the one-armed blacksmith in a warm hug

Toothless let out a sharp grunt and waved his tail to remind Gobber of his and Stormfly's presence.

"Oh, hello, Toothless," Gobber replied carelessly, before then noticing something different about the dragon's tail. "What? Yer tailfin grew back? Where… how… why?"

And then he looked over Hiccup's shoulder and made out a gigantic blue-grey creature with massive muscles and a metal arm looking at him dubiously.

"And…ye've brought a very big friend home," he finished awkwardly, looking more than a bit awkward at the sight of a creature much larger and stronger than he was.

"Oh, this is Mr. Wink," Hiccup filled in. "He's a Troll."

At this, Gobber's blond single eyebrow rose startlingly high. "T-Troll?" he whispered incredulously. And then he started hunching himself on one side, as though trying to reach downwards at the same time as keeping eye contact with the Troll.

"Uh, Gobber, what are you doing?" Astrid asked, incredulous.

"Here ye go," Gobber replied, looking straight at the Troll as he clumsily pried one of his boots from his feet, exposing the funny yellow sock inside it. "Ye vant me sock? I von't stop you. Have a good sniff of it."

Mr. Wink's expression was hard to read, but his voice showed just as much surprise. "Seriously, why does every Viking I meet think I'm after their socks? I'm a warrior, not a clothes burglar!"

Now it was Gobber's turn to look incredulous. Quickly throwing the sock away, he then turned and jogged out of the forge into the village square. Immediately he shouted aloud, "OI, EVERYONE! I'VE GOT GOOD NEWS! HICCUP AND ASTRID HAVE COME BACK, VITH THEIR DRAGONS…AND A TROLL!"

News is quick to spread in a village of dragon-riding Vikings. After only a few minutes of Gobber shouting, the entire square was filled with excited yet tentative Hairy Hooligans, and their dragons following close behind.

"Hiccup's back?"

"Hiccup's back?"

"Hiccup's back!"

Such excited whispers as these passed through the awe-filled crowd, the most notable ones coming from the four teens and the village chief who pushed their way to the front of the crowd.

"What, Hiccup's back?" Snotlout whined a bit, only to receive a sharp elbow to the ribcage from Ruffnut. "I mean, Hiccup's back!"

"And he's brought a…Troll?" Ruffnut mused, eyeing up Mr. Wink in interest; her eyes lingered on his tall and muscular build.

Fishlegs didn't say anything, just trembled fiercely.

Stoick the Vast, meanwhile, walked over to stand beside his son. "I'm glad to have you back, son," he said. "But what happened while you were off on a quest?"

Hiccup glanced at his girlfriend, his new friend, and his two dragon friends. "Well, dad," he said, brushing the hair up the back of his head, "It's a long story…."

 ** _"_** ** _Hello, everyone! It's Rapunzel here! I just got in touch with Sammael29 and he agreed to record this so I could keep you up-to-date with the state of our kingdoms now. And may I say, without fear of being interrupted…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Uh, Blondie?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Eugene, what are you doing?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I just wanted to have a small role to play in your epilogue thing, you know?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Well, I'm sorry, Eugene, but you got to handle the entire epilogue back in our first movie, remember? Just sit in the corner and have a biscuit until I'm done. Ok?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Whatever you say, Blondie."_**

 ** _"_** ** _*sighs* Anyway, back to me. Ever since we returned from New York to our native time periods, life has improved for all three of our kingdoms in so many ways. Hiccup kept his side of the bargain with Mr. Wink, and soon showed his father that Vikings are just as capable of living with Trolls as they are with dragons. Soon, every Troll in the Barbaric Archipelago was moving into Berk, and the Vikings had to change their village to make them feel more at home. They have special forges built in underground shelters, special cliff-facing restaurants for the Trolls to do their own hunting, even specially-built four-poster iron beds, if I say so myself. And Gobber and Mr. Wink even opened their own jointly-run smithy. That Troll's like a brother to Gobber, and they both learn a lot from one another._**

 ** _Back in Dunbroch, Merida returned to a warrior's triumph. She was reunited with joyful tears in the arms of her father and mother, and the four clans invented a new song to rival that of Mor'du: the song of Merida, the friend of Elves and killer of Nightmares. And while Fergus was more than a little perturbed to see how strong his daughter had become since the last time he saw her, he can now proudly boast that she got more from him than her good looks and spirit. After learning Merida's new friendship with a Viking, the clans agreed to peace terms with the tribes of the Barbaric Archipelago, and even took after them by opening the doors of their kingdom to magic-born creatures; in their case, they allowed none other than the Bethmoora Clan to become the official fifth clan of their kingdom, and Merida was overjoyed to meet up with her friend Nuala again._**

 ** _As for me and Eugene, when we got back to Corona, we allowed more than a few Trolls and Elves into our own castle grounds. The Cronie Trolls are, well, overbearing, loud, meddlesome, inappropriate, and heavy- really, really heavy. But they're really endearing once you get to know them. And once they teach you how to really sword-fight (sorry, Eugene, but a real warrior doesn't just use frying pans to win their fights), it makes you really love being one of the four greatest heroes._**

 ** _Jack? He's, well, Jack, same as always. But having Tooth for a girlfriend has really improved his character. Instead of the mischievous loner he once used to be, now he's become a real night-time socialite, always hanging out at the most classy spots in between collecting teeth. And he's just told me that there's been a new addition to the ranks of the Guardians; Jack Skellington, the new Guardian of Hallowe'en and Fear. Such a funny guy, and North likes him as well._**

 ** _Oops! Sorry, I've got to go give Maximus his dinner, but one last thing: the last time I met up with Jack, Merida and Hiccup, we gave Hellboy and the rest of the former BPRD gang that souvenir. Combining our weaving skills from three different generations, we produced a beautiful tapestry detailing all our adventures with the BPRD; our first meetings, Sammael giving me back my healing powers, our battle with Rasputin, Mr. Wink, the Bethmoorans, and the defeat of the Golden Army. At its heart, we did an image of the four of us(and you and Astrid, of course, Eugene!) sitting in a circle with our new friends, hands crossed in friendship: the tale of four people and a demon who started out friends and became heroes. But while our adventures with the BPRD may be over, there are still many things for us to do. And whatever challenges confront us, we will overcome them. Because we are the Fun-bringer, the Healer, the Archer and the Tamer._**

 ** _WE…ARE…_**

 ** _THE BIG FOUR!_**

Live-action cast

Hellboy: Ron Perlman

Elizabeth Sherman: Selma Blair

Abraham Sapien/ Angel of Death/ Chamberlain Conall: Doug Jones

Dr. Johann Krauss/ Bethmooran Goblin: John Alexander(Seth Macfarlane as voice of Krauss)

Director Thomas Manning- Jeffrey Tambor

Prince Nuada- Luke Goss

Princess Nuala- Anna Walton

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III: Nick Robinson

Jackson Overland Frost: Tom Felton

Princess Merida: Lily Cole

Princess Rapunzel: Evanna Lynch

Flynn Rider/ Eugene Fitzherbert: Brenton Thwaites

Astrid Hofferson: Jennifer Lawrence

Mr. Wink/ Fragglewump/ Cronie Troll/ Shopkeeper: Brian Steele (Mickael Persbrandt as voice of Mr. Wink)

King Balor: Roy Dotrice

Kozmotis Pitchiner Black: Benedict Cumberbatch

Sanderson Mansnoozie: Warwick Davis

E. Aster Bunnymund: Hugh Jackman (voice and motion-capture)

Toothiana: Afshan Azad

Nicholas St. North: Pierce Brosnan

Voice of Forest God: Richard Armitage

La Muerte: Penelope Cruz

Candle-Maker: Will.

Emily Jane Pitchiner: Katie Mcgrath

 **At last! A story which I first started a year ago, finally brought after much care and struggling to a brilliant conclusion. For those of you who liked the story, I will at some point start planning a prequel story revealing how the BPRD met the Big Four and became heroes. For now, though, I'm going to cancel the Warriors, and start planning out one of two story ideas I've got bouncing around in my head: either Lego Dimensions: A Quest for All Worlds, or another ROTBTD idea of my own, a parody of Jack the Giant Slayer, in which I will pair up the gracious Rapunzel with the endearing Hiccup…as soon as I can reason with a mildly jealous Eugene and Astrid…**

 ***Eugene and Astrid: GRRRRRRRRRR….***

 **Until then, stay tuned, my friends, and let me know which of these two stories I should start working on first. Love, Sammael29**


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